Gold Dust

I honestly was not that big of a fan of Ibrahim Al-Koni's Gold Dust, I thought the plot moved slowly and aside from the animal love going on between Ukhayyad and his thoroughbred camel there was little suspense or entertainment through out the novel. Yes Ukhayyad and his camel are fleeing from their tribe and yes there is war going on with the Italians in the Middle East but little was spent on informing readers of the situations at hand and all I was left with was this love affair between a man and his camel.

There are some bright spots in this novel that prove beneficial to our class study on Middle Eastern Literature. The author did a great job describing in detail the vast landscape of the Sahara Dessert and the caves where Ukhayyad slept at night. The most important thing I learned from this novel is that in the deserts of the Middle East a camel may be the only means of transportation so of course you will care for and perhaps even come to love your camel.

I now have a grasp for how amazing the Sahara Desert is and how life, although difficult at times, is infact habitable. I also understand now why camels are so important to many Middle Eastern families but dont think it was necessary to have an entire novel focused around a man and his struggles with his companion.