The Angel of History
by Rabih Alameddine
Atlantic Monthly Press. 320 pages, $26.
THIS LITERARY, highly inventive novel spans decades, continents, religions, and cultures, all in the course of one night. It tells the story of Jacob, born in Yemen, raised in Egypt and Lebanon, and now becoming a gay poet in San Francisco, as he grapples with his past and (literally) confronts his demons.
The novel is divided into four sections. “At the Clinic” recounts Jacob’s adventure at a mental health clinic one night, as he seeks assistance for traumatic memories and issues that have begun to reassert themselves after years of normalcy. The most interesting of his symptoms is his conversations with Satan. While on some level Jacob knows that Satan is a figment of his imagination, in many ways it is his most important relationship. Satan talks to him as a close friend would, cutting through Jacob’s excuses and reminding him of his creative potential. A witty, intelligent character, Satan is perhaps the best “devil’s advocate” anyone could ask for. People dealing with mental health issues may wish for a hallucination like this one.
Satan appears in another section, his “Interviews” with Jacob’s saints. Jacob discovered these fourteen figures while studying at a Catholic school in Lebanon; they would appear to him during difficult times in his life, both at school and in San Francisco. Satan speaks with each saint individually about Jacob in his apartment, getting their take on his life and insight into the difficulties he has faced. The saints are shown in their traditional garments and accessories; for instance, Saint Catherine holds the sword that was used to execute her, and the wheel she was tortured on lies next to her. Another one, Denis, carries his severed head with him, until Satan strongly urges him to put it back on his shoulders. Jacob’s cat Behemoth is skittish around Denis, for obvious reasons. These discussions help add humor to an otherwise serious topic.
“Jacob’s Journals” are where his memories take full flight. He reminisces about growing up with his mother in a Cairo whorehouse, watching his mother’s heartbreak when a client who has promised to take her away goes with another woman instead. He remembers life with his lover Doc, who, to Jacob’s dismay, would frequently bring home other men. He weeps at the memory of his friends dying from AIDS and rages against Doc’s mother, who, after her son’s death, comes in and clears their apartment of anything of value, including Jacob’s books. He describes some of his S&M sessions with such powerful, vibrant force that the erotic appeal is absolutely clear. One almost feels the lash of the whip and smells the leather.
“Jacob’s Stories” are some of the most creative and controversial tales. “The Drone,” for instance, is about a military drone that gains sentience and befriends a Middle Eastern village. “A Cage in the Penthouse” describes a New York party where the evening’s unusual entertainment takes cultural appropriation to a new level. These stories are clever, shocking, and sad, sometimes all at once, and reflect Jacob’s feelings towards the situation in the Middle East.
Literature pervades this novel. Jacob remembers that the poet Arthur Rimbaud spent his final years in Yemen. One of the staff at the clinic remembers Jacob’s previous visit years ago, when he wrote a poem in marker on one of the walls. The references are worn lightly, though, and a humor runs through the book that makes it easily readable, even with the painful scenes. Filled with intelligence, wit, and passion, it is a book well worth the price of admission.
