Chewing Gum

This book is a gem in itself by virtue of the scarcity of Libyan novels and short stories The Gadhafi regime was, unfortunately, successful in repressing Libyan authors and choking the desire to read and write from the people I was actually surprised to hear that this was a translated version of the Arabic novel published in 2007 It doesn t have the typical stilted language and dry interpretation that most translated works do Instead, the language flows beautifully and articulately, conveying to [...]

Great book that was recommended by Nada I loved all the different stories in the book and finished it all in one read.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.Chewing Gum provides a satirical and semi journalistic style look into life beneath a repressive dictatorship Bushnaf fills this novel with first hand experience that creates a rich and harsh reality within the pages, contrastingly written in such a poetic style that the brutality hits even harder, passages lingering even after you have set the book down I will say that this book does discuss some hard hitting topics and subjects that may not [...]

Each chapter as well as the novel ended abruptly,tricked into the detail then abandoned is how i felt throughout the book,i wish the author could have kneaded out of his imagination.I enjoyed how the plot weaved back and forth in time and also between the characters in a philosophical manner,and the description was refreshing.As a Tripoli resident it was easier to imagine the times and places,and the frustration in the story easily resonates in any Libyan.

More a series of vignettes than a coherent narrative, Chewing Gum illuminates a number of enigmatic characters lost in the wake of personal and political disappointments Mukhtar remains frozen in time, waiting for the lost object of young love or obsession to return to him Fatma cannot run away fast enough, seeking independence and control while sustaining herself through prostitution Omar Effendi sold his humanity killing a crowd of protesters for a government that no longer exists and looses h [...]

Just finished Chewing Gum, Mansour Bushnaf s fabulous and fabulist satirical first novel about love, Libya, and chewing gum, with a fair helping of glib academic jibberjabber and art history Who knew chewing gum could have so many political, economic, philosophical, and psychological dimensions One the funniest books I ve read since Stanislaw Lem s The Cyberiad and Vonnegut s oeuvre 4.5 5 stars.

This is a brilliant book I have enjoyed reading both in Arabic and the English translation I got the same enjoyment of both books The book will give insight on a people living under an oppressive dictatorship Using satire and dark humor to tell the story Loved it

A delightfully weird satire set in the early years of Gaddafi era Libya.

With a near magic realist historical sweep reminiscent of Marquez s A Hundred Years of Solitude, this novel captivated me at first In Qaddafi s Libya, Fatma walks away from her lover Mukthar, and from their relationship, stranding him in a famous Tripoli park Watching her disappear into the horizon, he freezes in place, a statue for the next decade awaiting her return This after their brief courtship had centered around a nearby statue of a voluptuous woman, a statue of mysterious historical ori [...]

Chewing gum was a little to figurative for my taste I would probably discover additional meaning from a reread, but it wasn t interesting enough to warrant a reread in my case In the end, I did manage to gleam some meaning out of the relationship between the two main characters The side characters were introduced in a way that was drawn out and confusing Therefore, it was difficult to care much about the side stories or characters I was hoping for of a glimpse into Libyan society.