Humorous and poignant, and told in a very funny voice of the protagonist, this unexpected book was one of my favorite reads on a recent travel trip. Here is my book review The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine.
Sixty Years of Gullible
Raja tells the story of his life. At 63 he is living with his mother, in a tiny apartment with a dining room table that takes up most of the space. Raja, a philosophy teacher and the “neighborhood homosexual” just wants to live in peace in his sixties. But his 80 year old mother will have none of it. Raja has spent his whole life not really seeing who his mother really is, only that she meddles in his life.
Family
Raja despises his greedy brother who takes advantage of their mother. When Raja’s mother is left without a place to live due to his brother’s greedy tendencies, she moves in with Raja. And bring’s her family heirloom gigantic dining room table. Raja’s mother becomes active in neighborhood and Lebanese activism and Raja sees no peace in his future and needs to get away from his mother.
Unexpected
When Raja receives an invitation to attend a writing conferecne in the USA he jumps at the chance. But on arrival it doesn’t take long to see something is fishy. Ghosts from Raja’s past appear and he has to flee. Returning to Beirut thanks to his mother enlisting the help of her wealthy activist friend. Only after the death of Raja’s mother will he understand more clearly who she really was.
Book Review The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine
Laugh out loud funny, Raja takes us through his sixty years of a life of trauma, drama and his mama, with humor and humility.
****Four stars for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible of Rabih Alameddine.
Thank you for reading my book review The Tue True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine. See last week’s book review Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.
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