Caroline's mother has always had a dream of doing
humanitarian work in a foreign country, but the family had assumed it wouldn’t happen
until Caroline had left for college. But then an opening comes up during Caroline's senior year to set up a clinic in Egypt and Mom decides that they have to seize the opportunity. Caroline knows very little about Egypt beyond that it is old
and full of Muslims. And she's aware and a bit apprehensive about whether Americans will be welcome there.
Moving to a
foreign country to actually live
there is hard. Hard to adjust to the
climate and the customs and harder still to leave her home and friends behind. But she discovers a love for her new home, despite its
strange people and customs. A love which
is helped in no small amount by a forbidden romance with an Egyptian boy.
The romance was probably a required nod to the genre, but it
hangs uncomfortably amidst Doller’s attempt to authentically describe
contemporary Egyptian society. The problem is that there
really is no way to plausibly explain the relationship beyond what feels more
like wishful Western thinking. It
doesn’t so much detract from the story as simply feel superfluous and alien.
What does stand
out is the beauty with which Doller depicts Egypt and its people. I related to this story as I too have spent
time in Egypt as a teenager (albeit a bit young and for a shorter period). While that was a long time ago and the
cultural and political environment has changed, the descriptions feel authentic
and Doller’s ability to capture the warmth of Egyptian people is welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment