4 out of 4 stars
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The Amazigh’s Apprentice by Ri J. Haare follows the journey of Abi Hemluck, both across the desert and through her soul in search of answers about herself. Told partly in the present of Abi’s desert trek and partly in flashbacks of her previous time in the city, Abi faces dangers both physical and emotional. From hungry predators to the demons of her past, Abi has her work cut out for her as she strives to fulfill the role of Amazigh—a “free person.” Can Abi complete her journey and come to terms with her life, her lot, and herself?
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The description, I felt, didn’t quite do it justice. Or, perhaps, there was so much happening here on a spiritual and intellectual level that the description couldn’t have possibly captured it all. Thus, my own summary may, too, fall short of the mark, something I will here try to rectify.
Abi is a character worth reading about. Referred to as “differently abled,” she has some physical deformity—a lump on her back, among other things. She does not, however, let this stop her from taking on the dangers of a desert hike. Abi spends a good chunk of the story writing in her diary in an attempt to understand what life truly means. She faces some truly frightening odds, brushing hands with death many times. Still, no matter how close she comes to succumbing or how bad things get, she comes out at the other end turning all the negatives to positives. As someone who has a tendency to dwell on the bad side, watching Abi flip negative situations on their heads was inspiring. If she can do it with dehydration and illness, I can do it for spilled milk.
Despite always finding the positive, Abi is not without flaws. Quite the contrary, she struggles with feelings of inadequacy just as much as anyone else. Being “differently abled” myself, I could identify with her easily; though, being “differently abled” is not required to understand Abi’s struggle. At one point, Abi writes in her diary that she wishes she could go to sleep and wake up a “normal” person. This line punched my heart. In today’s society, there is an emphasis on the fact that there is no “normal.” Everyone is who they are, and that is fine. Despite this, there is still an underlying current pressuring us to be prettier, smarter, physically/neurologically/sexually “normal.” Don’t we all lie awake some nights and think “If I could only wake up normal?” And I do mean “all,” even the people who fall smack dab on the above description of “normal.” We are all in some way “differently abled.” Abi may be more different than some, but her wishes are not foreign ones. As a protagonist, they make her beautifully flawed and able to care about.
The Amazigh’s Apprentice is full of bits of wisdom and important lessons, as well. One that stuck with me the most is learning to think of how our actions affect others. At one point, Abi comes across a tree baring dates. Starving, Abi fashions a lasso from a length of rope and loops it around one of the tree’s branches. She pulls until the branch snaps, thus bringing the dates into reach. Though food is in range, Abi bursts into tears for what she’s done to an innocent tree. It did nothing, but yet she harmed it. Yes, she did it out of self-preservation, but does that make it right? Aren’t all creatures, even plants, allowed to live in peace? The lesson here is not “never hurt anyone.” To quote The Princess Bride, “life is pain, Highness.” Rather, the idea is to think about actions before pursuing them. What are the consequences, not just for ourselves but for the creature we are to act upon? All this stems from Abi simply getting something to eat, and I commend Haare for packing so much into such a short scene.
Haare’s writing is full of beautiful imagery, too. I could see the desert sunset, feel the scorching heat, taste the relief of sweet water when Abi was parched. The style uses many complex sentences and interesting phrasing. This meant that I was unable to read this quickly. It did not, however, hinder my enjoyment. I will say that this is a story that requires active reading—it is not something to be read passively for entertainment. There is much to learn and understand here. I think I could read this a hundred times and come away with a different nugget of truth each one. If you are the kind of reader who doesn’t want to work for their story, this may not be the book for you.
For its touching story, many lessons, and beautiful protagonist, I rate The Amazigh’s Apprentice 4 out of 4 stars. The book is edited very well. Had I not been looking for mistakes, I would not have seen the very few I found. A 3-star rating was never a thought for this book. I recommend this book for anyone seeking to learn and grow. Those interested in culture or stories of survival may also find this interesting. As I mentioned in my summary, a good percentage of the book is flashbacks. The flashbacks add much to the story and did not seem to hinder the flow. Still, if you find flashbacks bothersome, there may be too many. Even so, I encourage everyone to give this book a try. It truly is a gem.
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The Amazigh's Apprentice
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