Review: Almost Dead
June 8th, 2010 § 15 Comments
by Assaf Gavron
Published by Harper Perennial
April 2010
336 pages
finished: 05.28.10
my rating: 8/10
what started out a little slow for me developed into a highly entertaining read and i’m so glad that i took a chance and picked this book up. Almost Dead has two running stories told in alternating chapters, each with its own main character.
the first storyline is of Eitan, nicknamed “Croc”, a Tel Aviv businessman who manages to narrowly miss three consecutive suicide bombing attempts, becoming a bit of a media celebrity, dubbed the “Croc Attack”. the Croc is immediately likable, the type of person i’d like to know, but is just dealt all the wrong cards. through a few very serendipitous encounters, he finds himself hunting the true identity of one of the men killed in the first attack, all the while dealing with post traumatic stress disorder and an all too realistic failing relationship.
the second storyline follows Fahmi, a member of a terrorist shell that has coordinated the specific attacks that Croc was coincindentally involved. throughout his chapters, he is in a coma, recalling the events leading up to his hospitalization. though Fahmi is a terrorist, he is written with compassion and has an honesty that you can’t help but admire. his brother is the extremist leader of their unit and Fahmi is merely feeling the familial obligation of living up to his brother’s expectations and his grandfather’s legacy. however, when Fahmi’s brother is captured, the task of killing the Croc Attack, who has humiliated their efforts, is in Fahmi’s hands alone.
the writing was sharp and humorous, and the story pulled along at a steady pace throughout. though i found the story of Eitan much more engaging than that of Fahmi to begin with, they actually developed well together and i found that by the end, i wasn’t feeling that favoritism any longer. and the ending was just wow! i think i read the last 50 pages in a blink.
the characters were well realized and were both relatable, in their own ways – Croc, with his optimism and huge heart, and Fahmi, with his misguided energy and love for his family. i was actually surprised to find that i had any emotion at all for Fahmi, but i really did, despite his position and his acts. altogether, this book just took me by surprise, in a good way.
Almost Dead was an excellent perspective piece with a fantastic ending, and i would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a slightly different take on terrorists and their victims.
Hey FTC – I received a copy of this book from Harper Perennial for review.
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I can’t read the review just yet because I have this book waiting on my shelf (thankfully it hasn’t been sitting there for too long– I bought it about a month ago). However, I am feeling hopeful now that I see you’ve given it an 8!
i hope you enjoy it whenever you get around to it. i’ll look forward to your review!
i haven’t heard of this book before, but it definitely sounds interesting. honestly when i read the synopsis for it i didn’t think it would be a book that i would like, but i like how it gives you a different perspective on terrorists and makes you think differently about them. i’m going to keep my eye out for this book just in case i run across it in a library or something.
i will be giving away my copy shortly, so stay tuned.
i think it grows after you read it ,i agree last part goes quicker than the start of the book .stu
yes, i agree. it is the type of book that is thought provoking well after you turn the last page. and i loved how the pacing of the book was steady and then, just wow at the end.
I read this book sometime last month, and I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed how the author made you feel sympathetic towards Fahmi, and didn’t leave it one-sided.
I just read the beginning and end of your review, since I have this in my queue, but I’m glad that you ended up liking it. It is also good to know that the beginning might be a bit slow and I should give it a chance.
i’ll be looking forward to your review! i don’t know that the beginning was slow, per se, but i didn’t feel so much for the characters until about halfway through.
either way, i hope you enjoy it!
I love the alternating chapters as a means to draw the reader in–when the story’s good I just rip through one person’s story to get to the next!
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