Read: December/January 2008/9
"Soon after three o'clock, when the town was still so hot and dusty that camels and donkeys tethered in the thin shade fretted unhappily, Blunden came to t understanding that the tall thin man in the immaculate beige linen suit and neat Panama hat was following him. Again"
I think that this book has one of the best opening lines, and I have enjoyed re-reading it again and again.
My father found this book - once again - in the way that normally does, and brought it over with him when my folks visited in November/December. He chose it as the story follows characters through Cairo, Alexandria, Lydda, Jerusalem and back to the Mediterranean. The story starts in Sharjah, Oman, which was another great link, as we had just booked a holiday in Oman for March.
The book follows Blunden who is searching for a man, Bastaev, who saved his life when he was fighting Rommel's Afrika Corps. Blunden knows few details about Bastaev, but what he does know takes him into the Middle East and then on a journey through places old and new as he follows the enigmatic Bastaev's trail. The story is an interesting one, as it starts out almost as a mystery, with Blunden looking for Basteav, but soon turns into a murder mystery as Blunden dodges two dead bodies. The story then manages to hot up the trail, and you are never sure whether Bastaev is a good-guy or not, and although Blunden never gives up his search, you become unsure whether he still wants to find him to thank-him, or for another reason.
Along Blunden's travels, you visit some interesting places. These aren't just in the countries the book travels through, but the hotels and market places along the way. It seemed a romantic time when you would correspond with a friend via the last hotel they stayed at. There is also a lovely description of Alexnadria whose fortunes have "fluctuated delicately with those of the Nile Valley and the Mediterranean". But it isn't all romance, as Blunden wanders the darkened alleys of Alexandria in search of the doorway that should lead him to his lost friend.
Unfortunately though, the characters aren't well developed. In particular, Miss Cotten, whom Blunden meets at his first hotel and later joins him on his travels, in unendearing in her support for Blunden. Also, the book comes to a surprising end, which almost appears out of nowhere, with very little build up in terms of the characters and plot. It is an exciting close, no question, but feels a little out of the blue and out of sorts with the rest of the story.
This is a beautifully cotton-bound hardback, that, in searching for the publication year I have found out is worth more than the 50p probably spent on it in a jumble sale. It is also a nice tale that introduces the reader to the Middle East as everyone searches for something - whether they really want it, or not.
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