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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Frankenstein in Baghdad is a book very much outside my wheelhouse and was in many ways a challenging read with a blurry line between what was real and what was not, frequently changing perspectives, and a large cast of characters to keep track of. There was a character list provided, but I found it a lot less helpful on audio than it would have been in print when flipping back and forward is so easy. This novel takes the broad outline of the Frankenstein story, shifts it to a neighbourhood in Baghdad around the time of the US invasion and the death of Saddam Hussein, and uses it to make some very insightful comments about the horrors of war generally and that war in particular. Hadi, a local scavenger collects body parts left on the streets after bombings and other acts of violence, and stitches them together in order to have the government recognise them as people and to give them a proper burial. But the creature called Whatsitsname comes to life and goes on a killing spree, first for revenge and then simply because it needs fresh flesh to stay alive, "aided" by a varied cast of followers with contradictory motives which soon brought them into conflict. I thought this was a brilliant allegory for occupied Iraq at the macro level whilst specifically highlighting the impacts of the violence at the microlevel in Hadi's Al-Batween neighbourhood. There are more layers to this novel, but for me, its strength lay in its seamless transfer of the Frankenstein tropes to Baghdad of the early 2000s and the pertinent social and political commentary that resulted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and War
bashsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I must confess, I was never a huge fan of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I reread it over and over again in high school and college, and I could never get into it. Something about the text was too dense and archaic for me to connect to - which is not normally a problem I have with classics.
When I came across Frankenstein in Baghbad, I thought the concept of a surrealist look into early Iraq War era Baghdad was an interesting concept, but I was skeptical that I'd find the same stumbling blocks with this version as the original. After all, it takes place in a time and setting very different from my own, just like Shelley's original.
But Saadawi's work is different. I realized pretty quickly that this book is much, much closer to my time and place than I thought it would be. It demonstrates, with an unparalleled hand for metaphor, the monster that is the cycle of revenge which makes up the wheels of war.
When I came across Frankenstein in Baghbad, I thought the concept of a surrealist look into early Iraq War era Baghdad was an interesting concept, but I was skeptical that I'd find the same stumbling blocks with this version as the original. After all, it takes place in a time and setting very different from my own, just like Shelley's original.
But Saadawi's work is different. I realized pretty quickly that this book is much, much closer to my time and place than I thought it would be. It demonstrates, with an unparalleled hand for metaphor, the monster that is the cycle of revenge which makes up the wheels of war.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Torture, Police brutality, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
-Suicide bombing, explosions -Corpses -Mutilationdelainey5's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
im not sure that I understand the ending
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and War
jillaay_h's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and War
tashtasher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse and Toxic friendship
woweewhoa's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Violence, Police brutality, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
hoppskotch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Honestly, one of the finest adaptations of classic literature into modern sociopolitical contexts. I highly recommend this to anyone who either enjoys the creature feature genre or just in general is looking to expand their adult fiction and horror bookshelf. So many of the characters are complex that equally measures that they are written with deep respect to each person's humanity. That being said there are quite a handful of characters who I could have lived without but were essential for the plot and overall were enriching. An incredible dive into the moral and philosophical nature of death, murder, criminality, and victimhood within the context of war and loss. This has become one of my favorite books nearly overnight.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
laurenbookwitchbitch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’ve been on a big reinterpretation of Frankenstein kick so I had to read “Frankenstein in Baghdad,” translated from Arabic. In the midst of the Iraq War a junk dealer begins to sow human body parts together from people killed in bombings. What follows is a gut wrenching tale of chase and pursuit, grief and saints, war and friendship, death and destruction. A powerful story about what it takes to create and maintain life in the worst of war zones.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
saint_eleanor's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved this book very terry pratchett esque. A little hard to follow at times but thats partially because i can’t keep track of more than like 3 characters in a book. The time skips were a little confusing, but ultimately this is like a lovable folktale urban legend with heavy philosophical undertones.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
almalotus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Car accident, and War