Instead, Caroline and her mother will be spending the year in Cairo where her mother will be working for OneVision, a nongovernmental global health organization that "provides eye examinations and glasses to people in need, and eye surgeries to restore sight." Her mother, has been asked to set up an eye clinic in Cairo. Caroline will finish her senior year at the American school. Caroline's father who is a tugboat captain will only stay for a week to help them get set up in their apartment.
At the Cairo airport they meet Ahmed Saleh Elhadad who is their driver. Mr. Elhadad drives them to Rhoda Island, where their apartment is located. Their third floor apartment is large and sunny, but not furnished as agreed on, meaning they must buy everything. Mr. Elhadad sends his son, Adam to set up their new furniture a few days later. Caroline notes that Adam is cute but is puzzled by his reluctant greeting. Her mother explains this is his way of showing respect.
The next morning, Mr. Elhadad takes Caroline and her parents to see Manshiyat Nasr neighborhood where the new clinic is located. He tells them that it is known as the Garbage city because the "people who live there - the Zabbaleen - collect the garbage from around Cairo and take it back to Manshiyat Nasr to sort out the recyclables." The city has no running water, sewers and little electricity. However, Dr. Kelly's clinic is clean and bright, already for her to set up.
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| Manshiyat Nasr- the Garbage City |
After a week in the apartment, Caroline's mother calls Mr. Elhadad who offers to take Caroline to the pyramids. However, it is Adam who shows up, when Mr. Elhadad becomes ill. Caroline isn't ready to see the pyramids, so Adam takes her to the restaurant where he works, gets a take-out order of ksohary and they go to the park to eat. A few days later, Caroline summons her courage and walks down to the movie theatre to see a film. This time she has no problems. Adam takes Caroline to the Friday Market, the souk al-Gomaa which Caroline describes as "more like a garage sale on the surface of the sun." Adam is helpful and tries to teach Caroline how to haggle. She also begins to learn more about Adam, that his mother, Manar works in a wedding shop altering dresses, and that he has a younger sister Aya who is fifteen.
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| Koshary - popular street food in Cairo. |
Discussion
In A Perfect World is a touching story about identity, forbidden love and tolerance. Doller tackles many different issues in her novel including how different life is for women in Egypt compared to America, the role religion plays in Egyptian society, the strong influence of family on young people and how two cultures have generalized misconceptions about each other.
Doller focuses on Caroline's journey towards understanding a culture very different from her own. Caroline is an Irish Catholic who has grown up in predominantly white Sandusky, Ohio. Her mother, Dr. Rebecca Kelly is an eye specialist, while her father is a rugged tugboat captain. Caroline's life is much different from that of Adam: she has played soccer, dated and is planning to study anthropology at university. In contrast Adam Elhadad is a devout Muslim who is working in koshary shop and hopes to be a chef one day. His sister Aya wants to study engineering but that is dependent on her test scores. Unlike Caroline who doesn't believe in fate, while Adam and his sister, Aya believe whatever happens is the will of Allah.
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| The Hanging Church |
As soon as she arrives in Cairo, Caroline experiences a profound culture shock. "...people are staring. At her. At me. Particularly the men, who drag their gazes from my hair to my chest -- even though my red bandana-print top covers me completely..." Caroline is surprised to see some women with their hair uncovered, "flowing around their shoulders or knotted in buns." Some girls wear hijabs, others are dressed in jeans and sandals. "Many --but not all--of the older women are cloaked in black abayas and hijabs, while a few wear veils over the lower part of their faces. These women unsettle me because their identities, their personalities, are concealed. Are they happy? Sad? With their mouths covered, it feels as if they've been silenced...Clearly the rules are more complex than I thought. But if Muslim women have a choice in what they wear, why would they choose to cover themselves up?"
Caroline is even put off by the Arabic language which she describes as "...a harsh and unyielding language that I will never be able to understand." When she and her family first hear the Muslim call to prayer from the nearby mosque, Caroline describes it as "eerie as it is beautiful, but unsettling in the same way as the veiled woman at the airport. Fear of the unknown. I don't understand what is being sung--or why."
When she first meets Adam Elhadad, Caroline is surprised to discover that he looks like an ordinary guy that she might meet back home in Sandusky and that he's handsome. She "expected something more unusual" and wonders if she could be attracted to a boy like him.
However, as she experiences life in Egypt and learns more about the culture, Caroline's preconceived ideas about Islam and the Middle East begin to change. This is demonstrated in her conversation with her best friend Hannah who believes all Middle Eastern men have beards and admits that the only Middle Eastern man she knows is Osama bin Laden, a terrorist. Caroline tells her "The Middle East is a huge place -- a bunch of different countries that have their own cultures. Not all the men have beards, just like not all the women wear hijabs, but misconceptions like these are how people end up believing that everyone from the Middle East is a terrorist."
When the adhan (call to prayer) begins, Caroline no longer finds it so scary, "especially now that I'm getting used to it, now that I know people who rise before the sun to say the prayers and perform the movements that accompany them." She begins to learn a some Arabic, teaching herself numbers and invites Adam to teach her some basic words.
Doller uses Caroline and Adam's different faith beliefs to demonstrate, that despite their obvious differences, people are often more similar than is immediately evident. Caroline's mother helps her to see that some things about the Muslim's practice of their faith is not so different from their own faith. She points out that as a Catholic she says morning and evening prayers and even prays throughout the day, something she has in common with the Egyptian Muslims. Their calls to prayer are similar to the ringing of church bells in Sandusky for Mass. When Adam informs Caroline that Muslims use their right hand for all things honorable they discover that they are both left handed and that family members have been discouraged from using their left hand. Later on when talking with Aya, Caroline notes that her grandmother has a similar saying to the Arabic "Inshallah" which means "If it is God's will."
Caroline's mother, as an eye specialist who helps people to see, is a symbol of how Caroline's vision of Islam and Egypt change. Just as her mother restores the vision of her patients, Caroline also experiences a change in how she views the world. She sees both the reality of life under Islam, it's cultural restrictions and differences, but also how Adam, Aya and Mr. Elhadad are not so different from her and her family and friends.
Caroline is even put off by the Arabic language which she describes as "...a harsh and unyielding language that I will never be able to understand." When she and her family first hear the Muslim call to prayer from the nearby mosque, Caroline describes it as "eerie as it is beautiful, but unsettling in the same way as the veiled woman at the airport. Fear of the unknown. I don't understand what is being sung--or why."
When she first meets Adam Elhadad, Caroline is surprised to discover that he looks like an ordinary guy that she might meet back home in Sandusky and that he's handsome. She "expected something more unusual" and wonders if she could be attracted to a boy like him.
However, as she experiences life in Egypt and learns more about the culture, Caroline's preconceived ideas about Islam and the Middle East begin to change. This is demonstrated in her conversation with her best friend Hannah who believes all Middle Eastern men have beards and admits that the only Middle Eastern man she knows is Osama bin Laden, a terrorist. Caroline tells her "The Middle East is a huge place -- a bunch of different countries that have their own cultures. Not all the men have beards, just like not all the women wear hijabs, but misconceptions like these are how people end up believing that everyone from the Middle East is a terrorist."
When the adhan (call to prayer) begins, Caroline no longer finds it so scary, "especially now that I'm getting used to it, now that I know people who rise before the sun to say the prayers and perform the movements that accompany them." She begins to learn a some Arabic, teaching herself numbers and invites Adam to teach her some basic words.
Doller uses Caroline and Adam's different faith beliefs to demonstrate, that despite their obvious differences, people are often more similar than is immediately evident. Caroline's mother helps her to see that some things about the Muslim's practice of their faith is not so different from their own faith. She points out that as a Catholic she says morning and evening prayers and even prays throughout the day, something she has in common with the Egyptian Muslims. Their calls to prayer are similar to the ringing of church bells in Sandusky for Mass. When Adam informs Caroline that Muslims use their right hand for all things honorable they discover that they are both left handed and that family members have been discouraged from using their left hand. Later on when talking with Aya, Caroline notes that her grandmother has a similar saying to the Arabic "Inshallah" which means "If it is God's will."
Caroline's mother, as an eye specialist who helps people to see, is a symbol of how Caroline's vision of Islam and Egypt change. Just as her mother restores the vision of her patients, Caroline also experiences a change in how she views the world. She sees both the reality of life under Islam, it's cultural restrictions and differences, but also how Adam, Aya and Mr. Elhadad are not so different from her and her family and friends.
As Caroline and Adam fall in love, they face increasing resistance from their concerned families and friends. Adam knows a relationship with Caroline is "haram" but he decides to follow his heart. He must deal with the expectations of his family to marry a Muslim girl, while Caroline struggles to fit in with his friends, some of whom do not like her. She also feels deep conflict over what a possible marriage to Adam might mean. Caroline cannot envisage herself converting to Islam and living the rest of her life in Cairo as she feels strongly drawn to her Catholic faith. As it turns out neither have to decide at this time to go against their culture or their beliefs. In a perfect world, they might more easily choose to marry.
Doller weaves in a satisfying ending for her readers, that is both romantic and plausible. Adam and Caroline are free to choose their relationship but only in America where society is more open. This novel's strengths are its descriptions of life in Cairo and the well drawn cast of characters. Even the secondary characters, for the most part, are real and interesting. With one exception.
Sadly this novel is marred by a stereotypical portrayal of an older Catholic, Caroline's Grandma Irene who is characterized as a bigot. She warns Caroline "to stay away from Muslims." obviously an impossible task for her granddaughter who is living in a Muslim country. Grandma Irene is portrayed as a hypocritical Catholic, attending weekly Mass while hating Muslims. She is the foil to the younger Caroline, who represents the modern Catholic, open, flexible, and tolerant. Of course no mention is made of why Caroline's grandmother feels this way, only that it is wrong and intolerant. It's important for young readers to understand the history between Catholics and Muslims and why older Catholics might hold such beliefs. The animosity between Muslims and Catholics goes back to the 7th century with the loss of important Christian shrines in the Holy Land, the severe persecution and enslavement of Catholics in Muslim countries, as well as several attempts to conquer Christian Europe throughout the centuries. In particular, Christians in Egypt are persecuted, particularly Coptic Christians. In April 2017 two churches were bombed in Tanta and Alexandria during Easter and in May 2017 a group of Coptic Christians on a pilgrimage were massacred by Muslim extremists. Christians who make up ten per cent of Egypt's population complain of little protection by police and non enforcement of freedom of religion laws. To make her grandmother even more intolerant, it turns out she doesn't like blacks either. Caroline's Grandma Irene reflects the once prevalent but still existing Catholic practice of encouraging Catholics to marry Catholics, mainly to safeguard the Catholic partner's freedom to continue to practice their religion and also to ensure that children are also raised as Catholics - a requirement for a Catholic marriage. It is to be pointed out, that Muslims also have a similar practice when it comes to marriages.
Overall, In A Perfect World is a timely novel that explores both the differences and similarities between a Muslim and a post-Christian culture through the eyes of two young people.
Book Details:
In A Perfect World by Trish Doller
Toronto: Simon Pulse 2017
294 pp.
Doller weaves in a satisfying ending for her readers, that is both romantic and plausible. Adam and Caroline are free to choose their relationship but only in America where society is more open. This novel's strengths are its descriptions of life in Cairo and the well drawn cast of characters. Even the secondary characters, for the most part, are real and interesting. With one exception.
Sadly this novel is marred by a stereotypical portrayal of an older Catholic, Caroline's Grandma Irene who is characterized as a bigot. She warns Caroline "to stay away from Muslims." obviously an impossible task for her granddaughter who is living in a Muslim country. Grandma Irene is portrayed as a hypocritical Catholic, attending weekly Mass while hating Muslims. She is the foil to the younger Caroline, who represents the modern Catholic, open, flexible, and tolerant. Of course no mention is made of why Caroline's grandmother feels this way, only that it is wrong and intolerant. It's important for young readers to understand the history between Catholics and Muslims and why older Catholics might hold such beliefs. The animosity between Muslims and Catholics goes back to the 7th century with the loss of important Christian shrines in the Holy Land, the severe persecution and enslavement of Catholics in Muslim countries, as well as several attempts to conquer Christian Europe throughout the centuries. In particular, Christians in Egypt are persecuted, particularly Coptic Christians. In April 2017 two churches were bombed in Tanta and Alexandria during Easter and in May 2017 a group of Coptic Christians on a pilgrimage were massacred by Muslim extremists. Christians who make up ten per cent of Egypt's population complain of little protection by police and non enforcement of freedom of religion laws. To make her grandmother even more intolerant, it turns out she doesn't like blacks either. Caroline's Grandma Irene reflects the once prevalent but still existing Catholic practice of encouraging Catholics to marry Catholics, mainly to safeguard the Catholic partner's freedom to continue to practice their religion and also to ensure that children are also raised as Catholics - a requirement for a Catholic marriage. It is to be pointed out, that Muslims also have a similar practice when it comes to marriages.
Overall, In A Perfect World is a timely novel that explores both the differences and similarities between a Muslim and a post-Christian culture through the eyes of two young people.
Book Details:
In A Perfect World by Trish Doller
Toronto: Simon Pulse 2017
294 pp.
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