![]() ![]() Whether this is pure research or she has lived this life, I don't know - but it sounds so authentic and believable. What is fascinating is how the author writes with such authority about another culture. Instead the author weaves a rich tapestry, pulling threads from a middle-eastern culture that at times seems archaic and extreme to 20th century Oxford University and back again, showing you layer upon layer of depth as slum boy Shuki realises his good looks can be both blessing and curse. This is a very long and incredibly detailed story with a huge cast, yet I was never confused or wondering who each character was - nor was I bored, or bogged down with too much information. Rarely have I gone through so many different emotions reading one book. It seemed to me that in the end it was about how love can triumph over desire.Īnd, in spite of it being uncomfortable to read, ultimately it is a beautiful story. She shows us how these events have their effect, not just on the perpetrator's and victims, but on their family and friends as well.Īnd she shows the difference between desire and love: for Shuki, the central character of the story, is desired by many yet can feel no desire because of what was done to him - but he can still love, and still needs love. She shows us the people who do these things - and they are not stereotype monsters, but fully developed personalities, with all their shades of light and dark. She shows us the cultural background and economic circumstances in which these things happen. The author gives us a much richer and deeper story. The process is described in some detail - as are other scenes, just as disturbing.īut this is not just a sordid tale of sex and violence. A wealthy man takes a boy from a poor family, uses him for sexual pleasure, has him mutilated, keeps him as his eunuch, his 'bed-boy'. And that is appropriate, given the subject matter. However, it is not comfortable reading - in fact, it is quite harrowing in places. Indeed, I was fully absorbed in the narrative from the first page. To put it another way, I didn't find myself having to constantly stop and re-read passages to try and work out what had happened, or who had done what. ![]() It is an easy read, in the sense that the words flow smoothly, the narrative is well paced, the descriptions are clear, and so on. ![]()
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