Hi everyone!
"American Dervish" is the debut novel by Pakistani-American writer Ayad Akhtar. It was published earlier this year to strong reviews from critics who praised it for raising provocative questions around the issues of what does it mean to be a Muslim in a traditionally non-Muslim society and how literally is one meant to take the teachings of the Quran. As a debut piece of fiction, I found the novel to be beautifully crafted. Mr. Akhtar's narrative prose is simple and elegant. His characters come to life off the page through dialogue and graceful descriptions. As readers, we come to care about these characters even as the choices they make are often disappointing and often go against what we would hope from them.
Briefly, "American Dervish" is told from the perspective of twelve year-old Hayat Shah who, for the most part, lives a fairly ordinary Midwestern life in Milwaukee circa early-1980s. His father is a renowned doctor with an affinity for Western women (and a predilection for affairs) and his mother is a very traditional Pakistani woman who despises her husband and sees him as the epitome of everything wrong with Muslim men. One day, Hayat's mother's best friend, newly divorced Mina, comes all the way from Pakistan with her young son to escape from her ex-husband's threats of stealing custody of their son. Hayat develops a schoolboy crush on Mina as she introduces him to the Quran and nurtures his fledgling Islamic study, much to the anger and chagrin of his father who finds Islam antiquated and dangerous, wants nothing to do with it, and doesn't want it anywhere near his family.
When Hayat's father introduces Mina to his business partner, a rather bookish Jewish intellectual named Nathan, with an eye toward them becoming a couple, Hayat's jealousy propels a series of actions that lead to somewhat tragic consequences. These actions cause Hayat to question his religious faith including the very basis upon which Islam was founded.
The issues are weighty and particularly timely considering the way in which Islamic fundamentalism has shaped the past twenty or so years of world history. And despite the heaviness of Mr. Akhtar's subject matter, the novel never feels weighed down by didacticism. By basing the narrative on the point of view of a twelve year-old boy, we the reader are able to experience Hayat's religious awakening and confusion through an unadulterated perspective which, from a plot standpoint, serves the novel well.
However, I suspect Mr. Akhtar has an ax to grind with Islam because it soon becomes clear that Hayat's experience with his native religion is not at all what he initially imagines it to be. Despite Mina's good intentions, Hayat becomes brainwashed and the central thrust of the novel has to do with a certain betrayal based upon strong and virulent anti-Semitism. The local neighborhood mosque is presented as a hotbed of fundamentalist extremism that unfortunately sweeps the young and impressionable Hayat along in its wake. The reader is also presented with an undeniably negative view of Muslim men. They are portrayed as sexist, chauvinistic, and violent towards women, more-often-than-not beating them into submission, though Hayat's mother remains a strong counterpoint to this.
I recommend "American Dervish" based on the quality of the writing and the fact that it raises questions worthy of further discussion. It doesn't provide easy answers and I can imagine many readers might be turned off or offended by its portrayal of Muslim family life and the biases/prejudices that, at least from the author's perspective, seem to be inherent of it.
"American Dervish" is a troubling novel for our troubling times.
Ciao.
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