Zeitoun
Zeitoun, November 2009, 8/10.
Written by Dave Eggers. Published by McSweeney’s Books.
A rare non-fiction book, but one that tells a story so incredible that it may as well have been made up. This book follows a Syrian-American family in the lead up to and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Told in clear and concise language, one feels that the author’s sympathy for the family could have clouded his view, but overall I felt that the approach taken was evenhanded. The book benefitted from stating at the outset that it was a work of nonfiction, which meant that the reader did not have to guess what was real and what was not (a particular problem in other works by the same author). Although not a particularly short book, I felt that it could have used some beefing up in certain places, particularly towards the end, when some of the analysis that I would have liked to have seen into the aftermath of Katrina was lacking.
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