Im listening to the audio book at the recommendation of my wonderful friend Reem Shalan, And having just finished listening to the fifth chapter, I feel heartbroken and physically sick. Because *Spoiler Warning!* the story of Idris and Roshi truly demonstrates the corrupting power of cowardice, weakness, selfishness, laziness and self-serving apathy under the guise of convenient rationalisations and excuses. How a man whos proven himself to be compassionate, generous and courageous can slowly forget his promises, distance himself from the suffering and others and tell himself that hes done enough; that theres no reason for him to feel guilty because theres nothing more that he can do. Of course, Roshi Was saved in the end... by someone else, so Idris hadnt been required to be the hero. However, it was the fact that hed turned his back on her which cut me to the bone. Because more than a hero, Roshi had needed someone else to be there for her, to give her hope and to care. So when they met again six years later, the young womans cold, blank dismissal of him almost brought me to tears. Because my fear is that after being betrayed by so many people, Roshi would have grown to expect it from everyone. So far in the book in fact, the question which faces each of the main characters is whether they view caring and sacrificing for another person as duty and a burden or not. And although theres a full third of the book left to go, at this point, it seems that its the people who try to escape from their Burden who end up suffering as a result. As Ive indicated as well, the fifth chapter of this novel is a damning indictment of too many Western peoples attitude to charity and those who are suffering in developing countries. Although it took a couple of chapters to get going, each seems to be richer, deeper and more enthralling than the last. And although Ill hold off judgment until my full review, so far at least, there is nothing that would prevent me from recommending this book to everyone.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 07:19:21 +0000
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