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Title: Thought Provoking, Intellectual, and Insightful, but plot could be better
Review: Mahfouz is a very talented writer. The literature is very rich and the devices he uses contribute to the fascination of the reader with the character of Ibn Fattouma. At times even, readers will become vicariously sullen or extatic because of the skillful characterization. The concepts in this book about post-modern religion and the role of an intellectual are great fodder for discussion and will keep people who love to think engaged for a while, but the plot is not as strong as the writing or interpretative aspects. The debacles that Fattouma faces on his journey are not very engaging always and at times deviate from realism (deviation from conceptual implications). When reading the book, I imagine that most people will be waiting anxiously for the next glimpse into Fattouma's psychology and analysis of the world around him and few will pay attention to the actual plot and sideplots.
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