Omar Yussef in Arab Spring in Syria

Matt Beynon Rees has written a short story set during the Arab Spring in Syria and published it today on his blog. Omar Yussef - the principal character in his series of novels set in the middle east - is visiting the country for a reunion of his university alumni class when the the popular uprising starts and the government officials try to reassert the old order. It's his response to the anti-government demonstrations in several Arab countries and how those states have responded with violence. Well worth checking out. As are his novels. Omar Yussef is a wonderful creation.

Review of The Samaritan’s Secret by Matt Beynon Rees (2008, Soho Books)

Omar Yussef, a history teacher, has travelled with his family to Nablus in the West Bank to attend the wedding of Sami Jaffari, a local policeman. Jaffari has been asked to investigate the theft of a valuable scroll from the synagogue of the ancient Samaritan sect, and takes Omar Yussef along to visit the important religious site. Whilst meeting the head priest, the body of a young Samaritan is discovered murdered after apparently being tortured. His interest piqued, Omar Yussef sets out to discover the murderer, soon finding himself in a complex web of politics and the rivalry between two Muslim groups – Hamas and Fatah – and a race to discover the location of 300 million US dollars of aid from the World Bank.

The first two books in the Omar Yussef series are great reads, especially The Collaborator of Bethlehem. The stories are well told, multi-layered, had a good balance of back story, history and political context, and evoked a strong sense of place. The Samaritan’s Secret, however, seemed quite direct and a little flat in comparison. The narrative jumps right into the story and then runs at a steady pace. The plot idea is strong, but the telling lacks some of the craft of the first two books. I also felt the story suffered from a couple of credibility issues. The story works on Omar Yussef being embedded in certain networks (which is fine), but too many times I kept asking myself why all the various actors, from all sides, were prepared to confide in him. Yes, he’s a genial character, but he’s also a stranger to many characters and conspiracies work on secrets. I therefore found it difficult to believe that he could so quickly and effectively work his way to the centre of the action. That all said, the concept is good and it’s an entertaining read. I think part of the issue is that the first two books are so good that Rees has set himself a very high bar to reach in subsequent outings. This is always going to be a challenge. In Omar Yussef, Rees has created a great character and I’m looking forward to the fourth outing.

Review of The Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees (Mariner Books, 2008)

Omar Yussef, a school principal in Bethlehem, is visiting Gaza with his college from the UN, Magnus Wallander, to inspect the schools in the refugee camps. On arrival they are welcomed by James Cree, a Scot working for the UN, who has just been informed that one of the local, part-time teachers has been arrested. Masharawi is also employed in the Islamic University, where he has denounced the practice of selling degrees to members of the security services seeking quick promotion. On the way to Masharawi’s home they pass the funeral of a security agent killed by a criminal gang linked to a rival military faction; an agent that seemingly bought one of the university’s degrees. Unwittingly, Omar Yussef, Wallander and Cree, are drawn into the political corruption and black marketeering of rival politicians, their private armies, and associated criminal gangs. Soon Wallander is kidnapped, Cree is dead, and Omar Yussef is left in a world alien to him, trying to free his friend, Masharawi, and the innocent man accused of killing the security agent. If it wasn’t for the presence of Khamis Zeyden, Bethlehem’s chief of police, and member of the Revolutionary Counci,l and his bodyguard, Sami, Omar Yussef would be completely at sea. The sensible thing to do would be to leave Gaza, especially when a contract is taken out on his life, and let the UN negotiate the Wallander’s freedom, but Omar Yussef is driven by a strong sense of responsibility, and using his detective skills he starts to piece together connections and patterns that others fail to see.

Like the first book in Beynon Rees series, The Collaborator of Bethlehem (one of my top ten reads of 2009), The Grave in Gaza is fascinating and entertaining read. Beynon Rees seemingly captures perfectly the geography, history, politics and culture of modern day Gaza; the factions, fears, uncertainties, sights and sounds, and the cruelty and humanity. In Omar Yussef he has created a wonderful character – wise, humane, comic, dogged. The story is a well plotted and paced, multi-textual, credible, and remarkably non-judgemental, simply telling the story as it unfolds and leaving the judgements to the reader. The narrative becomes a little ragged towards the end, and as with many crime novels the resolution rests on a coincidence that seemed unlikely, but nonetheless this was a hugely enjoyable read. The Samaritan’s Secret, the third Omar Yussef book is now on my wish list.