Frankenstein in Baghdad: SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2018

Darkly funny but also gruesome, gory and at times quite disgusting. It's also touching in a wierd kind of way as well as distressing to read about the impact of war and American occupation on the people of Baghdad. Overall an interesting read but not for those of a squeamish disposition

Frankenstein in Baghdad is one of those books that demonstrates the literary skill of combining complex ideas and storytelling technique and yet still drawing the reader in. This is a clever book that is not pretentious and ‘look at me I’m clever’ like some lauded literary works can be but instead so easy to read that it is only after reading for a while that one might recognise how clever it is being. Humour is one of the key tools to achieving this but also the sparely drawn but relatable characters.

For this white British reader, characters with unfamiliar names in the utterly unfamiliar setting of Baghdad could have felt very distant but instead the male journalist (good at his job but unsure of himself) and the ageing mother (who pushes away her adult daughters because she focuses on her grief for her dead son), and others, are easy to understand and recognise. However, it is helpful that the edition includes a character index to reference; particularly as we meet the characters repeatedly in different situations.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of my all-time favourite novels and I was expecting a much closer relationship between the two works than there actually is. However, I am not disappointed because Frankenstein in Baghdad stands alone as a very good book in its own right.

What a fantastic book, the message I took was much more, than we all have the capacity of being good and bad, like the 'whatitsname'. No-one really knew who was right or wrong, the book didn't seek a definitive answer on this. Like in real life it is never that easy or it is it?

Themes of control/faith - control of one owns destiny in such a variable environment... though Elishva who had the most faith seemed completely untouched by this, the strong symbolism shown with various religious figures such as St George and Mother Mary...both disfigured by the end. Faith aspects depicted by the followers of the madmen with superstition superseding religion too - the need for faith, the need to believe in something.

Other aspects, such as the capitalist aspects of Faraj/ Saidi, every character has a core belief that shapes their journeys in the book and ultimately their fates - the martyrdom of Haidi being the father/creator and paying for it.

Mahmoud's character to me balanced the book with attempts of seeking the truth, and at times not wanting to know, is relatable along with his ambition and at times innocence.

This book will stay with me for a long time - has immense quality, brilliant

I thought this book was wonderful. The reader is sent into US occupied Baghdad, shown the devastation that people have experienced with the loss of loved ones, trauma, political corruption and the on going danger that citizens' faced just going about their ordinary daily lives. It was interesting to get the perspective from an Iraqi citizen.
There were a large number of characters, with a smaller number focussed on. I was fascinated by the story of Elishva whose loss of her son Daniel and her refusal to accept his death took over her life affecting all her decisions and her relationships with the rest of her family. I also was interested in the journalist Mahmoud, his attempts to become successful journalist in a difficult environment and his naivety. Both Elishva and Mahmoud could be unlikeable at times, but they were rounded enough for the reader to empathise with the terrible situations they found themselves in. There was definitely a question in people lives about who to trust.
It was intriguing how the author wove the characters lives with the more fantastical story of the “whatsitsname” , a reconstructed person made by Hadi the junk dealer, from the body parts of those who were victims of the violence in Baghdad. At first the “whatsitsname” seeks revenge for those who it considers innocent victims however as it needs body parts to continue to survive, body parts are added of those who are seen as criminal. The “whatsitsname” eventually concluding that “There are no innocents who are completely innocent, and no criminals who are completely criminal … every criminal he had killed was also a victim.”

Ahmed Saadawi has written an enjoyable and engaging novel set in 21st century Baghdad centred around Frankenstein. The reader learns about Baghdad's past, present and the realities of living in a city on the brink of chaos through the point of view of locals living in the area of Bataween. Through the individual actions of the residents a monster nicknamed Frankenstein is created and unleashed into the city following a suicide bomber attack, and subsequently causes a wave of death and destruction in its path.

As Frankenstein seeks to understand his purpose and existence, his allies and enemies use him to fulfill their own hopes, dreams and ambitions. Frankenstein's own thoughts are documented by a young journalist, who is following up on this supposed urban myth.

Saadawi's colourful characters paint a rich and varied picture of a community living in an historic and crumbling part of the city, as it is slowly being destroyed by sectarian violence in the post Saddam Hussein era. The characters past and current realities provides the reader with a taste of the diversity in the city, as well as documenting its changing face, as established communities leave for other cities and countries in the search for stability and peace.

I found the author's construct of time, viewing the same events from different characters and the impact it has on their actions very effective, as was the individual's stories, such as Elvira in her quest to be reunited with her son Daniel and Mahmoud, the young journalist, as he tries to establish the truth from the fiction in the city.

An enjoyable read, which gives the reader insight into Baghdadi life and its past.