Captain Haldane wakes up in a strange room in an old house, surrounded by a beautiful but ramshackle orchard, miles from anywhere. The last thing he can remember is his helicopter being shot down over enemy territory. It appears he is in a safe house, cared for by an elderly holy man and his niece.
But how did Haldane get there, and who are these people really? With time he suspects there is someone else in the house. The soldier tracks her down: Aliyyah, a beautiful young veiled woman. Is she too being kept against her will, or even her knowledge? And is there really a curse on this family?
Aliyyah is a modern Arabian tale, set in an unnamed war-torn country. It is a Romeo and Juliet story, but one for an age where scientific materialism is crossing bloody swords with religion. What divides these two lovers is not the war outside, or the imminent arrival of Haldane's troops, but how they interpret the world.
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[Once Haldane woke everything was white](Vagabond Voices, 29 May 2015, 128 pages, paperback, borrowed from my library)
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Aliyyah was an okay book, just okay. Unfortunately, it didn't do much for me.
I like fables and fairy tales and odd tales where it's never really clear what's happening. Unfortunately, Aliyyah falls short on almost every level. This short little book is far too dull for my taste.
The writing is good in places. I liked the way the book is presented, especially the black and white illustrations. Unfortunately, the book is just very dull for the most part. I was bored a lot reading it which is not good for something so short.
Aliyyah isn't awful but neither is it particularly great. It's just - meh!
