This is an interesting book. It transcends genre. It’s a
novel that resists pigeon holing. If I had to categorise it, I would classify
it as a literary-political/contemporary thriller. But it’s so much more than
this description implies.
Jihadi is told from the perspective of Thelonius Liddell,
a disgraced American intelligence officer, who is now held in a CIA black site
deemed a traitor. He is suspected of “going native”, converting to Islam and
throwing his lot in with al Qaida. His former wife, Rebecca Firestone, is
another intelligence officer, a psychologist and the woman who first recruited
Thelonius to the intelligence services from the Army Special Forces, the Green
Berets.
Much of the book takes the form of a memoir Thelonius has
penned on parchment smuggled into his prison cell. Becky Firestone has got hold
of this manuscript and her comments are interspersed with the text. But Becky
has a brain tumour, which has made her erratic, paranoid, and has heightened
her already ferocious patriotic fanaticism. Theolonius also suffers from
pathological problems however, childhood trauma leading to him suffering
hallucinations.
Both Becky and Theolonius prove to be unreliable narrators
and for much of the novel the reader doesn’t know who to believe. There is
Theolonius’ account of his last mission to the Islamic Republic (a fictional
country the author has obviously based on a cross between Iraq and Afghanistan,
post the US invasion of each). By his account, poor intelligence led to his
involvement in a serious human rights abuse and after being arrested and
detained, he met people who challenged his assumptions and led to his
conversion. But he makes no mention of joining al Qaeda, just returning home
disillusioned. Becky’s account on the other hand has her estranged husband
seduced by terrorists, brainwashed, which leads to his involvement in a plot
against his country.
There is another strand to the novel which takes place
while Theolonius is in prison in the Islamic Republic. He falls in love with
Fatima, an interpreter for his interrogators, a woman whose sister was killed
in an American strike. Events are escalating after Theolonius’ arrest. A series
of events have led to a new Iman appearing seemingly out of nowhere to
radicalise the citizenry. He develops a huge following and this movement is
calling for Theolonius to be executed.
Jihadi raises big issues and lets no one off the hook. It
certainly asks big questions about US foreign policy and the war on terror. US
strikes are made on poor intelligence and the Americans demonstrate callous
disregard for the Muslim populace. But equally the Islamic extremists come off
badly, the Iman secretly drinks scotch, his followers are ignorant hoodlums,
using the power the movement has given them to bully women, intellectuals and
everyone else who dares to stand up to them.
Yusuf Toropov has not written an easy book to read, both
as far as content or structure is concerned. This is no action thriller, no
Jason Bourne type story. It is rather a considered piece of literature, which
while a slow burner, doesn’t pull its punches. It’s well worth a read and is a
rewarding experience.
5 out or 5 stars
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