Reviews

A Land Without Jasmine by Wajdi Al-Ahdal

liesbethvv's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I liked this mystery / crime / coming-of-age / magical realism hybrid enough to fly through it. Though the characters did little for me, I did appreciate how much the novella achieved in terms of immersion in this village and culture, especially considering the small amount of pages. I’m not usually a fan of

open endings

but this one left just enough

speculation

to be intrigued yet not annoyed. 

caroline_norrish's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

emmajanereads's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

curatoriallyyours's review

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This book was odd in many ways and at times a little clunky in the way it was written, though this may have been a translation issue rather than a writing issue. I found it intriguing and compelling, and I was not expecting the ending.

mirireads's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

larissakoedood's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.0

readingindreams's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

3.5

abbeleas's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

kamckim's review

3.0

The review here says this book is sexy. No. It's not. Jasmine is a young woman, striving to live in a society that represses femininity, where men are either lecherous or clueless, when it comes to what a female wants. Jasmine describes herself as a piece of meat. That is not sexy. The plot surrounds the disappearance of Jasmine and the subsequent investigation by police. Each chapter in the 82-page novella is told from a different point of view. In addition to Jasmine's first chapter, there are 5 men who comment on her character and each reveals a bit more into the mystery of her disappearance. Many reviewers have stated this book is a comment on coming of age in Yemeni society, and it is for Jasmine and Ali, whose childhood friendship was abruptly ended when Jasmine's father forces her to wear a veil after he discovers she has played soccer outside with neighborhood kids. This interpretation seems a bit forced, especially when one considers that the author is a male. I trust him to represent the male narrators in his book, but I don't trust any male author to authentically portray a woman's own knowledge of herself. It's problematic. To restrict the book to a social commentary on the repression of women in Yemen is to miss some larger issues. The book can be seen as a political commentary on the state of war in Yemen. If one considers Jasmine as the embodiment of the mother country, especially given her interest in Balquis and the ancient culture of moon worship, this book can be read as a commentary on the various political factions, tribes and wars that are ripping up the very fabric of what was once a beautiful country. The men each desire Jasmine to achieve their own personal ends, which may also be argued regarding Yemen's political situation in 2008-the original Arabic publicatin date. In another way, the book can be read as a social commentary on the purity of Islamic worship. It seems that Al-Ahdal could be attempting to portray allegorically how human beings, men in particular, have a tendency to use religion (embodied, once again, by the pure Jasmine) to achieve their own ends. Whenever humankind uses a body, a country, politics or religion to achieve their own ends, the body itself falls apart, perhaps disappearing in its purest form, to never be found again. Maybe this is what happened to Jasmine. The book has many possibilities. Don't limit it hijabs and women's rights. Women mean so much more.

hanntastic's review

4.0

Global Read 174: Yemen

I really like this book. The blurb does it a real disservice when it describes it as a "sexy satirical detective story." There is a central mystery, but it is more a novel on the position of women in Yemeni society and how men project their own feelings onto the women around them. The first chapter was really excellent and set the book up really well. I often don't like books that switch perspective constantly, but I thought this flowed together. Another reviewer described this book as haunting which I definitely agree with.