Book Review: Exposure by Sayed Kasuha
I waited for you, but you didn't come. I hope everything's all right. I wanted to thank you for last night. It was wonderful. Call me tomorrow?
The blurb says that in Jerusalem, two Arabs are on the hunt for the same identity. The first is a wealthy lawyer with a thriving practice, a large house, a Mercedes and a beautiful family. With a sophisticated image to uphold, he decides one evening to buy a second-hand Tolstoy novel recommended by his wife - but inside it he finds a love letter, in Arabic, undeniably in her handwriting. Consumed with jealous rage, the lawyer vows to take his revenge on the book's previous owner. Elsewhere in the city, a young social worker is struggling to make ends meet. In desperation he takes an unenviable job as the night-time carer of comatose young Jew. Over the long, dark nights that follow, he pieces together the story of his enigmatic patient and finds that the barriers that ought to separate their lives are more permeable than he could ever have imagined. As they venture further into deception, dredging up secrets and ghosts both real and imagined, the lawyer and the carer uncover the dangerous complexities of identity - as their lies bring them even closer.
The story itself does not have an extraordinary plot or premise. It does not need much effort on part of the reader to find thematically similar works of fiction. However, what distinguishes Exposure from the rest is the strong characters described in a slim yet suitable language. Although until around the middle of the book, the characters are anonymous and the individual stories run in parallel - the author devotes alternate chapters on the two story lines until they converge in the final chapter and a subsequent epilogue, right from the very beginning, the reader becomes hooked and can identify with the individual aspirations and mood of the characters without any effort. The cover design consists of one half of a face diagonally dividing a white background and gradually blurring itself into the background. Exposure has a very simple cover. Pun unintended, I should say this is a very simple design compared to the industry's focus on love at first sight. Fortunately, I do not go by the cover unless it is too repelling to be in my library, and Exposure by Sayed Kashua definitely does not fall in that category. Going with the story that is partly themed on identity exchange, suspicion and related jealousy, mild ingredients of mystery and innocence, Exposure has a very apt cover.
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A definitely readable book. You will love this book if you prefer character based writing because here the characters survive and their stories continue even after the book has ended. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Rukun for giving me this opportunity.
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