In the Name of God

Yasmina Khadra made of so-called religious terrorism his warhorse, and he's definitely efficient at doing it. I hadn't read him for a while but I think "In the Name of God" achieved amazingly to deconstruct the real motivations of extremist religion, what Khadra calls religiopathy (this world should really be spread): everything despicable you can imagine, basically, from love deception to long-term humiliation, everything except love and knowledge of religion. To lead in every corner of ignominy, without forgetting anything. Where religion is just a tool for full of hatred and/or greedy people. Where revenge desires spare nobody: educated or not, anybody can let himself/herself be enough full of despicable feelings to fall in unlimited show more violence; education and culture don't protect you by themselves, you need to monitor yourself.
It's more than dark, it's unbearable sometimes, but this analysis is so relevant. Nobody should do without it, and I can't wait to read his last trilogy. show less

Algeria
(pseud. of Mohammed Moulessehoul)

I already had Algeria covered (Camus), but thought I'd read something contemporary. In the Name of God is a novel that begins with an introduction to a number of people in a small Algerian town, including three friends. It then follows the events as Islamic fundamentalism grows stronger. The prose is sometimes straightforward and clean, sometimes rather purple, especially when the author strains for metaphors and similes. The violence is explicit and graphic without being particularly voyeuristic. A good novel to read in conjunction with Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns or The Kite Runner, as well as some of the Southeast Asian and African literature I've been reviewing. Conclusion: Wars show more are pretty similar in many ways, but each has its own characteristic affronts. show less

Ghachimat es una pequeña localidad argelina por la que pasa el tiempo sin sobresaltos. Las amistades se cultivan desde la infancia, se sueña en voz alta, se agudiza el ingenio para lograr el amor deseado, se envidia a los que han tenido éxito, se menosprecia a los que no lo lograron, se sobrevive amoldándose al peso asfixiante de la tradición. La capital, Argel, es un baño de sangre, pero a la apacible Ghachimat no llega la inquietud, todo se ve con el sosiego que da la distancia. La indiferencia se autojustifica con aquel argumento de que las víctimas no serían tan inocentes. Un desamor precipita a uno de los hijos del lugar a embarcarse en la aventura de la guerra de Afganistán. Su regreso, convertido en héroe, despertará show more diabólicamente al pueblo de su letargo. Las viejas rencillas, agazapadas tras motivaciones políticas y religiosas, con proclamas irracionales contra los que leen a Marx, Sartre y Dante, lo arrastrarán a una ola de ajustes de cuentas y asesinatos en masa que desbordan el cementerio. show less

Ghachimat es una pequeña localidad argelina por la que pasa el tiempo sin sobresaltos. Mientras, la capital, Argel, es un baño de sangre. Un desamor precipita a uno de los vecinos a embarcarse en la aventura de la guerra de Afganistán. Su regreso, convertido en héroe, despertará diabólicamente al pueblo de su letargo