Masha Hamilton

In 2006, I read and reviewed The Attack by Yasmina Khadra, a book that came to mind after I finished reading Masha Hamilton's 31 Hours. That particular book is about the aftermath of a suicide bombing, a doctor discovering he had not known his troubled wife as well as he thought he had only after her death. He goes on a mission to find out why she became a suicide bomber. Masha Hamilton offers a similar perspective in 31 Hours, only she captures the hours when a young man, 21 year old Jonas, show more is contemplating his own act of violence, before his scheduled detonation.

The novel is told from several different perspectives, opening with a mother awakened in the wee hours of the morning with a feeling that something is terribly wrong. She has not heard from her son, Jonas, in several days and is worried about him. He has become more withdrawn with increased mood swings. Jonas, for his part, is consumed by his passion and anger over the immoralities of the world and is determined to make a statement. He believes that only a violent act will precipitate change for the better. Jonas is not a monster. He is a human being with fears and vulnerabilities like each of us. While he is opposed to the injustices in the world, he is so focused on the ideals he is supporting that I am not sure he really considered the people who might be hurt by his actions. He claims to have clarity, but in reality is confused, lost even, seeking something missing from his life but of which he isn't sure what it is.

The author also introduces readers to Jonas' friend, Vic, who has been so busy rehearsing for an upcoming state performance that she has not had much time for her friend or family. Her young sister, Mara, feels the weight of the family's burdens on her shoulder, caring for a grief stricken mother after Mara and Vic's father walked out. I couldn't help but think of Mara as a young Jonas, with their similar backgrounds at such a young age and with their strong desire to set things right, or, at least, what they perceive as right. Jonas himself identifies with Mara on some level.

The subway system in New York is its own character, the location of where the terrorist act is supposed to take place. As a result, the reader gets to know a few of the regulars who spend much of their time underground, in particular Sonny Hirt, a homeless man who makes his living pan handling. It is through him, that the subway itself feels alive, pulsing with people from all walks of life going or coming from somewhere. A myriad of emotion and experience fills the subway at any hour. It made the story all the more powerful, knowing the impact a terrorist attack on the subway would cause.

What was most powerful for me was seeing Jonas through his mother's eyes. Jonas is everything to Carol and her pain and concern is palpable. I ached for her and for Jonas' father. I also felt for Vic, who had just found love and so suddenly could lose it. It is through their eyes, their memories of him and their love for him, that I came to care for Jonas, as misguided as he was, and even in spite of not agreeing with his logic or choice of resolution.

31 Hours is an intense and beautifully written novel. The countdown continues with every new chapter. And with each narrative by the various characters, the tension grows. The fate of all the characters hangs in the balance as the author weaves their stories together. Masha Hamilton succeeds at putting the reader into the minds and hearts of the characters, making this all too frightening story all the more real. show less

When Carol Meitzner wakes up in the middle of the night she is as sure as anything that her son, Jonas, is in danger. Even though she tries to keep calm and give her 21-year old a healthy amount of space in which to live his life and make his own decisions, in the back of her mind she knows that it’s not like him to be out of touch with her. She just knows that she has to get to him. Carol does the best she can to keep her fear in check and to make discrete inquiries into Jonas’ possible show more whereabouts, but what she doesn’t know is that she only has 31 hours to find him. Or else…

Jonas has always been reserved and sensitive; even as a child he was observant and deeply affected by his interactions with the world. Now, in some undisclosed location in New York City, Jonas is preparing to make a statement in a manner that he believes is the only way to make a difference in a world that is too callous, cruel and hypocritical to meet the needs of its citizens.

There is really something to be said for opening up a book when you are able to give it your full attention. When I first cracked this one open I was in a hotel room in Washington, DC for the National Book Festival, whooping it up with roomies Trish and Amy and definitely not in the frame of mind for a book that would require my full attention. Unfocused, I read the first few pages and saw wolves howling and Manhattan traffic and thought, “Huh? Don’t know if I will like this.” Boy was I wrong.

I picked this book back up once I had returned to NYC and could concentrate, started again from the beginning and I could not put this one down! I would try to move on to something else but somehow just a short time later I would find myself with book in hand. It’s a little novel that through snapshot portrayals examines 31 hours in the lives of not only Jonas and his mother, but also those most likely to be affected by his final acts- his girlfriend Vic, and her sister Mara among them. The novel powerfully moves right into the heart of each character in the present moment and reveals their dreams, aspirations and fears, all the while giving a glimpse into the history they have with each other and how it is has shaped their lives.

The characterizations are some of the strongest I have seen, and for this particular novel they were heart wrenching. Hamilton does an excellent job of portraying Jonas’s parents- one struggling between what might be irrational fear or intuition, and the other believing that their son is growing into a man and just needs his space. The book does an excellent job of exploring different issues facing the characters without being judgmental or preachy. Troubled marriages and questions of faith and religion are put forth to be examined, but are not framed as indictments so much as they are presented as the facts of each family’s situation. I loved seeing the nuances and complexities in all their situations. The character of Sonny Hirt in particular opened me up to a different perspective on freedom and the incredible assumptions that we make about the way all of us should live and function. It was very interesting to see another way.

31 Hours, by Masha Hamilton is a wonderfully written book examining the possibilities behind some of the unknowable facets which drive human behavior and how much we can truly know about one another and the actions of which we are capable. Ultimately it is a haunting reminder of how much each moment and hour of the act of living is an act of trust, and how the fragility of our existence is so quickly and easily unraveled. show less

“I realized right away that books could take us out of ourselves, and make us larger. Even provide us with human connections we wouldn’t otherwise have.”

Fiona Sweeney has a passion for books. She works as a librarian but as she reaches her late thirties she feels like her life is in a rut and that she wants to do something with her life that will make a difference in the world.

She embarks on a six-month placement with a traveling library that brings books to the people of scattered show more communities using camels in the north eastern part of Kenya. These tiny settlements have no roads or schools and the people live their lives fighting hunger, disease, and drought. The library has one strict rule, anyone not returning books will cause the bookmobile to stop visiting their settlement.

At the nomadic village of Mididima Fi meets Kanika, a young girl living with her grandmother Neema. Neema can read herself and believes that children need the books to educate them so that they can move on in life. Fi meets the school teacher Matani and his wife Jwahir. Jwahir sees the bookmobile as a threat to their old world customs, and tries to get her husband to make the bookmobile leave. Fi meets Abayomi, the drum maker and the father of two young boys Taban - or Scar Boy, (so called after he was attacked by a hyena as a toddler)- and Badru.

Fi is passionate about the project but she is soon surprised to discover that it divides friends and neighbours. To Kanika, who reads every book she can lay her hands on, the Camel Bookmobile brings hope of escape and a brighter future. But others fear the loss of their traditions and that the bookmobile represents the inevitable destruction of their fragile way of life. Tension escalate when Scar Boy fails to return his books, threatening future visits. Fiona returns to Mididima alone to try and recover Scar Boy's books for the library.

Fiona spends five days this tiny African settlement and during her time there she comes to realise that it shared many similarities as the outside world. Some people want to leave to better themselves, others think they would be happier with someone else, and others do not want and fear change. When Fiona tries to recover the books from Scar Boy she discovers that she could fundamentally change his and some of the settlement's inhabitants' lives forever.

'The Camel Bookmobile' is on the face of it a heart-warming story of people reaching out to help others. However, it also asks some pretty tough questions. Is the West right to interfere in these poorer nations and their inhabitants? Would the benefits of learning to read outweigh the loss of knowledge of the land that these nomadic tribes lived on, knowledge passed down verbally through many generations? Would an education simply mean that the young migrate to the cities where they would live with the threat of crime, destitution and prostitution or would it actually open doors to a better life?

Personally I thoroughly enjoyed the first half to two thirds of this book as it discussed the pros and cons of the project even if Fi came across as evangelising at times. However, the latter section rather slipped into romantic melodrama I felt which let the overall down somewhat. On the plus side it is a quick read, the characters were generally well drawn and it did make me realise it is based on an actual organisation that I look forward to learning more about, now that can be no bad thing. show less

4.5 stars.

Fiona is a librarian in New York, but she has decided to travel to Kenya to help set up a bookmobile, traveling by camel to small villages. One of the villages, Mididima, has an interesting group of people, some of whom are opposed to the library coming. They don’t think they or their children need to learn to read, as they’ve gotten by as they have for generations. One girl (and her grandmother) are thrilled to have the library and to be able to borrow the books; there is also show more a boy with a scar on his face who seems to enjoy the books. There is a teacher, who is in support of the library, and his wife, who is very much against it (but at the same time is little bit torn about it).

It was really, really good. Each chapter was told from different characters’ viewpoints. I think the book did a really good job of describing the feelings of the people who opposed the bookmobile and why. Close to the end, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the ending, but ultimately, I did - I think the way it was tied up was very fitting and appropriate. show less