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A review by picklefall1
One Thousand and One Days by Renee Frey
5.0
Excellent take on the frame story of The Thousand and One Nights
The original classic is a collection of tales that Scheherazade told King Shahryar each night to forestall her own execution. This novel retells that greater story rather than the embedded tales themselves, which I found fascinating. This book focuses on the interpersonal and political context to explain why the King issued such a terrible decree to marry and kill a different wife each day.
I'm not an Islamic or Arab history scholar, but I can tell the author did her homework on the religion and culture of the time, and integrated these elements into the book quite well. Classic tales tend to summarize more than modern novels do, so reading this story in the modern style of action beats, interiority, full dialogue, and the like invested me in the story more easily than reading the classic itself. The author's writing style and craftsmanship make this an easier read than it otherwise would be, and I never lost interest. Most refreshing are all the things the author doesn't do: modernize the story, depict graphic sexual content, revise the history, etc.
You don't have to read the classic first in order to enjoy this book. If anything, I'm more interested in the classic after reading this. Historical fiction fans need to check this out.
My favorite line is a reflection made by the king near the end. It summarizes the whole book in clear terms: "...it seemed silly. No one in their right mind would try to change someone by telling stories."
King Shahryar, if you'd found a jinn that granted you long life, and you're still alive to read this review, I have old news for you: Telling stories is the best way to change someone, and this story holds the power to do just that.
The original classic is a collection of tales that Scheherazade told King Shahryar each night to forestall her own execution. This novel retells that greater story rather than the embedded tales themselves, which I found fascinating. This book focuses on the interpersonal and political context to explain why the King issued such a terrible decree to marry and kill a different wife each day.
I'm not an Islamic or Arab history scholar, but I can tell the author did her homework on the religion and culture of the time, and integrated these elements into the book quite well. Classic tales tend to summarize more than modern novels do, so reading this story in the modern style of action beats, interiority, full dialogue, and the like invested me in the story more easily than reading the classic itself. The author's writing style and craftsmanship make this an easier read than it otherwise would be, and I never lost interest. Most refreshing are all the things the author doesn't do: modernize the story, depict graphic sexual content, revise the history, etc.
You don't have to read the classic first in order to enjoy this book. If anything, I'm more interested in the classic after reading this. Historical fiction fans need to check this out.
My favorite line is a reflection made by the king near the end. It summarizes the whole book in clear terms: "...it seemed silly. No one in their right mind would try to change someone by telling stories."
King Shahryar, if you'd found a jinn that granted you long life, and you're still alive to read this review, I have old news for you: Telling stories is the best way to change someone, and this story holds the power to do just that.