Anyone familiar with Peter Mayle's huge hit "A year in Provence" will know what to expect with The caliph's house by Tahir Shah. At least, the format and situation will be familiar. Shah, a struggling author of Anglo-Afghan descent, uproots his young family from their stifling British existence and moves them to Morocco. What follows is a tale of renovations gone very, very wrong, and a struggle to move with and in and around the new culture without being completely taken over by it.
The author's blurb at the back of the book jacket reveals that Shah and his family still live in Casablanca so you know they stick with the move despite circumstances that would have sent me packing a long time ago.
This kind of writing is less about long-term plot development and more about stories of day-to-day events so knowing the pattern and the outcome don't detract from the reading. If you're curious about life behind the walls in Muslim north Africa, here's a peek at what goes on. Granted, it's from a Western point of view but that only makes it easier for Western readers to understand.
Shah does not write himself in as a hero in this story. In fact, there are times he shows himself behaving badly. There are times I want to wring his neck on behalf of his wife and children but the story itself is fascinating. If you enjoy armchair travel or misadventures of (almost) normal blokes, this could well be the book for you. If you're at all squeamish, there will be some sacrifice descriptions you will want to skim over.
The caliph's house : a year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah, was published by Bantam in 2006. ISBN is 987-0-553-80399-0.
About Me
- Carol
- What would you call this room? According to the floor plan, it's a living room and the first thing you see when you open our front door. It's not exactly a traditional living room set-up. Some would call it a studio. Others would call it a mess. It's where I build houses...and my family's OK with that.