Celestial Bodies - Jokha al-Harthi ( Translated by Marilyn Booth )

Oman: a country which had under gone a considerable change since the 1960s - when she emerged as an Oil rich country. The transformation from an  era,  when schooling for girl children was restricted, to a time  where subsequent generations saw their girls become medical doctors, and could decide on whom to marry -  From an  era when patriarchs controlled their families, made concubines of their slave women ( yes, slavery was a fact! ),  to a time when a woman was able to be true to her inner thoughts and tolerance and call for divorce - From an era when the children lived in mortal fear of their father's wrath, whose punishments troubled their dreams throughout life, to a time when their more sensitive, broad minded  sons, learned  to love and  respect their families' wishes, even while knowing that their "chosen" spouse truly never reciprocated their love -  From a time when fear of djinns was part of the belief of the daily life to an era of iPhones and global citizenry. Oman has seen a lot of changes - from slaves in your house and slavery as a trade to a more refined, modern time, as she opened up to the rest of the world - in a relatively short time. This transition is the  authoress' main focal area, via a  familiar Omani rural landscape, as she zig-zags between the two verticals of the past and the present. Most parts of the world has taken drastic steps towards modernization in the said period - and this is Oman's story, a story presented vividly, which we haven't had the opportunity to glimpse to before.

This is a busy book - a busy narration. In one chapter, one reads about the possible  supernatural causes for the death of a young mother, and the next one, where a  lady doctor has her way in choosing her life partner, going against her parents, as we travel  a period of fifty years across two chapters, only to zig zag back to an earlier time. My guess is that the authoress used this zig-zag method of narration, bordering on chaos, to portray the short duration over which socio-cultural landscape changed - and it is a powerful ploy.

We are given a look into the life style of the new Bedouin - Bedouin by heart, but only milder in actual  life style.

"The Bedouin – despite all appearances of permanence, having settled in one locale and replaced their camelhair tents with cement block dwellings – scorned, even despised, the very idea of putting down roots. They relied first and foremost on pasturing camels and sheep. They held fast to their traditional loose garments and their free, untethered natures, preserving the impermeable boundaries that separated them from what was called ‘the life of the settled’."

One of my most cherished reading experience with respect to Bedouins  comes from The English Patient - where "the patient" describes in fine detail how he is treated and kept alive in the native style. I cannot deny that I had hopes of a romanticized version  of Bedouin life - but al-Harthi presents us with a realistic modern picture of their life style here, which is line with the overall direction of the novel.


While the changes that the country had been through  forms the background, Abdallah - the only character that speaks here in the first person, presents himself with all his doubts, and his good nature ( All other characters are presented with an omnipotent eye ). Haunted by the nightmares of his childhood thanks to his strict father, he is the symbol of a modern man - a reasonable man who suits the modern times - the best kind of men for the times we're in.  Otherwise, the range of characters is diverse, and adds up to the overall mood of a long history, but focused over a period of 50 to 60 years. Culture, presents a  colourful background, while  the overall mood of tolerance makes the reader draw parallels across their own background. [ Going on a tangent I tried to think of how my local landscape would've changed in the said period. I had a chat with an elderly  mason from Matara ( that's  Southern, Sri Lanka for those who don't know ) that I associate with, and he opened up about the skilled exorcists who lived back then, but how the skills are hardly existent now - leading to disbelief among the current generation. What we lacked was the slavery, but he gave a fine detail of how caste trod upon a generation of drum beaters etc., which ensured that their children didn't continue their father's trade. What we lacked was the oil for us to take the bend. Education has certainly helped, but its taking its time ]

It is an enjoyable read, no doubt. However I think that the main reason that this book would've won the Man Booker International award was the hint of readiness to accept change, that the book suggests. While a stance of accepting and accommodating change needs to be recognized and appreciated, one wonders if that message by itself in a garb of literature, is worthy of a recognition for such an award. However it is an important book that warrants reading, to appreciate the change another region has faced, as the world rolled towards the modern times. Especially given the usual dark brush that this region receives in telling their story (usually by outsiders )
, this is a considerable effort of story telling and culture, that can sit side by side with the rest of the world as Oman's story in modern humanity.