"To compensate a little for the treachery and weakness of my memory, so extreme that it has happened to me more than once to pick up again, as recent and unknown to me, books which I had read carefully a few years before . . . I have adopted the habit for some time now of adding at the end of each book . . . the time I finished reading it and the judgment I have derived of it as a whole, so that this may represent to me at least the sense and general idea I had conceived of the author in reading it." (Montaigne, Book II, Essay 10 (publ. 1580))

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Zeitoun (Dave Eggers, 2009)

Book club selection (via Zaida; session held December 20, 2015)

Not what I expected!  The story line is unusual/interesting - involves Hurricane Katrina and post-storm life in New Orleans.  The protagonist seems like a pretty capable fellow - nice family, immigrant from north Africa, making a living with some rental properties and construction work.

Some elements of the story line reminiscent of the Galveston story.  Anti-Islamic strains, reminiscent of current issues.  Civic officials and law enforcement dealing with a situation that really could not be prepared for, and plenty of venal behavior to go around.

All that was interesting enough.

But it turns out that the protagonist had some issues with the wife after the hurricane - probably understandable given what they all went through.  Seems like the author should have dealt with this?  Maybe it was a timing thing?
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