3 out of 4 stars
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My Trip to Adele is a refreshing breath of fresh air. Written by sibling team Rana and Ahmad Alyaseer, they have translated this book from Arabic as well as self-published it and I, personally, am very glad that they did.
My Trip to Adele follows three different lives as the characters all try and make it to Adele’s concert in Verona for very personal and individual reasons. Nadia, a mother living in Jordan, wants to surprise her only son with the concert for his birthday; Yaser is looking to recreate the waning love between him and his wife; and Elias is looking for a lost love and a promise he made 8 years ago.
This novel is beautifully written and it is difficult to put down, as you become enmeshed in the complex lives the characters have and the struggles which they face. Forever flowing through the book are Adele references and lyrics which mold perfectly to the situation at hand, carrying with it a side effect where it gives the reader an undeniable urge to go and listen immediately to Adele.
The reader becomes frustrated at the behaviour of Nadia’s ex-husband and the traditional treatment in male dominated Jordan where the men have the final say. Nadia constantly fights against it in a very modernistic view of strength and dignity, as her ex takes out his petty frustrations on Nadia, using their child to do so.
Elias travels from Italy to Marrakesh in search of a memory and an unforgotten love, as he tries to find what he left behind. As he pieces together the life Malika led after he left, he begins to question will he know her again if he finds her and will he love her for who she has now become or is he in love with a memory.
Yaser has become stuck in a loveless routine marriage which appears to be both inflexible and unfixable. He has started to question his purpose, his faith and if his love for his wife ever existed. As a surgeon he is constantly faced with mortality, but it takes a break from his routine and a night spent wandering the streets of Vegas, to bring him to see the fragility and preciousness of life, and that it is not something to waste.
The authors’ obviously have a very deep love for Adele’s music, as each chapter is structured around one of her songs, and ends in the applicable lyrics. It is not often that such passion for music, and the impact that it can have on people’s daily lives, whether in celebration or coping with loss, is portrayed so eloquently in writing.
The two authors broach difficult topics with ease, such as child prostitution, everyday gender inequality in Middle Eastern society, the strength of religion in the structure of one’s life, the repercussions of the loss of that faith, as well as the impact of social media and its effect on modern relationships.
My Trip to Adele was a real pleasure to read and the Alyaseer’s should be commended. I give this book 3 out of 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who loves Adele, as well as those who are interested in learning about Middle Eastern culture. I look forward to reading more of their work in the future.
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My Trip to Adele
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