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One Hundred and One Nights
After 13 years in America, Abu Saheeh has returned to his native Iraq, a nation transformed by the American military presence. Alone in a new city, he has exactly what he freedom from his past. Then he meets Layla, a whimsical fourteen-year-old girl who enchants him with her love of American pop culture. Enchanted by Layla's stories and her company, Abu Saheeh settles into the city's rhythm and begins rebuilding his life. But two sudden developments -- his alliance with a powerful merchant and his employment of a hot-headed young assistant -- reawaken painful memories, and not even Layla may be able to save Abu Saheeh from careening out of control and endangering all around them.
A breathtaking tale of friendship, love, and betrayal, One Hundred and One Nights is an unforgettable novel about the struggle for salvation and the power of family.
A breathtaking tale of friendship, love, and betrayal, One Hundred and One Nights is an unforgettable novel about the struggle for salvation and the power of family.
358 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Benjamin Buchholz
9 books86 followersBenjamin Buchholz is the author of the novel One Hundred and One Nights (Back Bay Books/Little, Brown), the nonfiction book Private Soldiers (Wisconsin Historical Society Press), and two poetry chapbooks:Thirteen Stares (Magic Helicopter Press) and Windshield (BlazeVox Press). He is also co-author, with Sam Farran, of the memoir The Tightening Dark: An American Hostage in Yemen (Hachette). His short stories have appeared in Storyglossia, Hobart, Mad Hatter’s Review, and Prime Number Magazine, and been anthologized in the Dzanc Press Best of the Web collections. His nonfiction has appeared in Military Review, Infantry, and The Writer. He has served as a foreign area officer and U.S. Army attaché in Oman, Yemen and Uzbekistan, and lectured at Princeton University. He holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completed the Omani Royal Air Force Staff College in Arabic Language, and holds an MA in Near East Studies from Princeton University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
December 7, 2011
This book haunts me.
It really haunted my dreams. I don't suggest reading it before sleeping if you take your characters and their actions with you as you snooze. That being said I need to read it again as this is one of those books that will improve upon a second or perhaps third reading. War, no matter its root cause, does so much damage to individuals and that damage is the soul of this book. Good people can be driven to horrific acts by the repeated acts upon them. Unyielding cultural and religious dogma add fuel to a fire. And it is not one sided.
I don't want to explore the book too much because it was so not what I was expecting and I don't want to take that away from the next reader. It is a well written novel with characters that for the most part are clearly defined. The story moves along in the somewhat present day with flashbacks to the past. The plot is not fully understood until about halfway through the book which was quite a feat! And even then there were parts left hanging until the very end. This is why I feel it will improve upon another read - that foreknowledge of the ending will cause certain actions to make sense.
I do recommend this book for a peak into the world of Iraq after the second Gulf War. It was not an easy read as I wrote above but it was an excellent one.
It really haunted my dreams. I don't suggest reading it before sleeping if you take your characters and their actions with you as you snooze. That being said I need to read it again as this is one of those books that will improve upon a second or perhaps third reading. War, no matter its root cause, does so much damage to individuals and that damage is the soul of this book. Good people can be driven to horrific acts by the repeated acts upon them. Unyielding cultural and religious dogma add fuel to a fire. And it is not one sided.
I don't want to explore the book too much because it was so not what I was expecting and I don't want to take that away from the next reader. It is a well written novel with characters that for the most part are clearly defined. The story moves along in the somewhat present day with flashbacks to the past. The plot is not fully understood until about halfway through the book which was quite a feat! And even then there were parts left hanging until the very end. This is why I feel it will improve upon another read - that foreknowledge of the ending will cause certain actions to make sense.
I do recommend this book for a peak into the world of Iraq after the second Gulf War. It was not an easy read as I wrote above but it was an excellent one.
December 14, 2011
What lies between reality and fiction? Buchholz takes you there where Layla entertains.
One Hundred and One Nights is one of those books that just stays with the reader long after the book has been read. Abu Saheeh has been to America on a visa to study as a pre-med student but only for a short time and now he is living in the small town of Safwan. War looms in the background with the American convoys passing back and forth on the outskirts of the town near where Abu Saheeh sells his mobile phones from his little shack. Buchholz the author of this book goes back and forth among Abu's previous life before he came to Safwan and his life now in Safwan in each chapter. In some chapters Abu's memories linger for a moment in time on his life as a child, his time spent with his family including his playmate, and future wife to be, Nadia. Entwined throughout this tale, which I found hard to put down, is Layla. Layla is a child who appears to Abu almost everyday at his little mobile store shack. Layla brings tales of America to Abu in her own innocent ways, later she brings gifts. Or does she? Later in the novel Layla enters Abu's dreams and even his waking dreams while he is intoxicated on alcohol. Layla eventually lays between the layers of dreaming and waking for Abu so much so that he cannot tell if she has been part of his imagination the whole time or she is real. I found Layla to be intriguing and such an interesting character with her funny stories and things she does to grab the attention of Abu. Layla is also a character that lies between truth and fiction, not just for Abu, but also for the reader. Buchholz has used this character very cleverly and creatively to grab at the heartstrings, leaving the reader fascinated. I could never seem to get enough of her and even in her ghostly fashion one wonders what may happen to her. You could never know by reading this book that this is Buchholz's first novel as his writing transcends space and time.
One Hundred and One Nights is one of those books that just stays with the reader long after the book has been read. Abu Saheeh has been to America on a visa to study as a pre-med student but only for a short time and now he is living in the small town of Safwan. War looms in the background with the American convoys passing back and forth on the outskirts of the town near where Abu Saheeh sells his mobile phones from his little shack. Buchholz the author of this book goes back and forth among Abu's previous life before he came to Safwan and his life now in Safwan in each chapter. In some chapters Abu's memories linger for a moment in time on his life as a child, his time spent with his family including his playmate, and future wife to be, Nadia. Entwined throughout this tale, which I found hard to put down, is Layla. Layla is a child who appears to Abu almost everyday at his little mobile store shack. Layla brings tales of America to Abu in her own innocent ways, later she brings gifts. Or does she? Later in the novel Layla enters Abu's dreams and even his waking dreams while he is intoxicated on alcohol. Layla eventually lays between the layers of dreaming and waking for Abu so much so that he cannot tell if she has been part of his imagination the whole time or she is real. I found Layla to be intriguing and such an interesting character with her funny stories and things she does to grab the attention of Abu. Layla is also a character that lies between truth and fiction, not just for Abu, but also for the reader. Buchholz has used this character very cleverly and creatively to grab at the heartstrings, leaving the reader fascinated. I could never seem to get enough of her and even in her ghostly fashion one wonders what may happen to her. You could never know by reading this book that this is Buchholz's first novel as his writing transcends space and time.
March 25, 2012
My Thoughts -
Abu Saheeh, so he is known, appears in the small border town of Safwan. Under the patronage of a local Sheikh, Abu Saheeh sets up shop as a merchant, and so begin the nightly visitations of a young girl, Layla. Poor and dirty, lively Layla reminds the troubled Saheeh of happier times, of unfullfilled dreams, of unmeted justice. Quickly, the ominous shadow of tragedy taints Abu Saheed's every endeavor.
Navigating the intricate relationships of Southern Iraq, old time tradition blending quietly, necessarily, with changing leadership, Saheeh balances strength with respect and seeks to fulfill his purpose while maintaining the illusion woven about his presence.
Eerily poetic, One Hundred And One Nights held me captive through out Abu Saheeh's dark and perilous journey. From resignation to acceptance, acceptance to hope, hope to despair, and despair to vengence, Saheeh embarks on an elusive path toward justice, a path he may never find.
This Review originally posted at Brazen Broads' Book Bash
I enjoyed this novel. Buchholz crafted wonderful, fluid characters that shifted and changed as the story progressed, reshaping my ideas about them, my feelings toward them chapter by chapter until the climactic ending. Fabulous! I was disappointed with Buchholz' ambiguity about Saheeh's grasp on reality at the novel's conclusion and the existence or non-existence of Abd al-Rahim, who was an important pillar on which Saheeh's actions rested.
One Hundred And One Nights stands alone in my mind, apart from my regular reads, but I'm glad to have read it. I've nothing to compare it to, no category in which to neatly tuck it away. Love, hate, loyalty, and loss fueled Saheeh onward, and his story will linger in my thoughts.
Overall Story - ♣♣♣♣
Plot - ♣♣♣♣
Setting - ♣♣♣♣
Characters - ♣♣♣♣
June 12, 2012
I have not started reading this, but I am considering it for a book club book. It will be a bit strange to read it because the writer is a former high school classmate. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to read it.
March 30, 2017
Per my review at http://baltimorereads.wordpress.com/2...
Benjamin Buchholz’s One Hundred and One Nights (published this December) is the story of Abu Saheeh, an Iraqi mobile phone merchant (or so it seems) living in Safwan whose life is changed by the presence of a teenage girl named Layla. She first appears as a poor street rat – a nuisance to merchants – but Abu Saheeh ends up forming a relationship with her that effects him mentally and emotionally in more ways than one.
One Hundred and One Nights opens with Layla’s first visit to Abu Saheeh’s phone store. Her innocent questions and comments about American culture make her a loveable character from the very start – even Abu Saheeh cannot judge her for two long. Her affection for American life amuses this man who once lived in America himself when he was pursuing a career in medicine. Before he knows it he is sucked into her carefree and curious personality. Her interest in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and her tendency to sing and dance to Britney Spears could be considered blasphemous and inappropriate by many, but Abu Saheeh attempts to find excuses for this girl who has entered his life at one of its most stressful and monumental points. As the novel progresses, readers learn that Abu Saheeh has a hidden agenda that he is struggling with inwardly, and the heaviness of his future plans begin to play with his mind in ways that make reality and insanity one in the same.
Buchholz channels his own experience of living for a year in Safwan with his family in order to create a realistic and visual picture of life in Iraq. Buchholz explained the origin of his idea for One Hundred and One Nights to The Huffington Post. Witnessing the death of a young girl run over by a convoy sent his mind reeling:
“The experience of this girl’s death haunted me, both because of the sudden shock of the situation and because the girl had been roughly the same age as my own sons. Her image, seared onto the film of my mind’s eye, stayed with me not only as a soldier but also, more importantly, as a father. I wrote about her, at first, as catharsis. And from that kindred father-feeling I birthed the idea of Abu Saheeh’s situation in “One Hundred and One Nights.” I appropriated my own feelings about the death of the six-year-old girl and I projected them onto Abu Saheeh as the young girl Layla latched onto him in the market place, infecting his loose grip on the world and threatening to unravel all the work he had done to overcome his sense of dislocation and his hidden, insurmountable grief.”
It isn’t very often that an author is able to pinpoint exactly what his intentions are for a character and actually pull them off seamlessly, but after reading Buchholz’s explanation on how the idea of Layla and Abu Saheeh came to be, I must say he nailed it. Abu Saheeh’s feelings for Layla mirror that of a father – in fact, there are times in which he admits that he considers Layla a daughter figure. His concerns when she doesn’t show up to his store and the affection he shows for her when no one else will give her the time of day contrast greatly with the other things occurring in his storyline. Layla is an outlier, an ingredient in his life that makes everything else seem trivial. Her immense power over him is both impressive and terrifying and makes readers wonder what lies in Abu Saheeh’s past that makes Layla’s presence so affecting.
Buchholz keeps Abu Saheeh’s past vague throughout the novel, treating readers to short italicized memories at the end of each chapter. These flashbacks create a full explanation just as the present timeline comes to a head in a shocking climax that will go over well with some readers and seem over-the-top with others. I personally found the ending of One Hundred and One Nights to be unbelievable in a believable way, if that makes any sense. I couldn’t fathom what was occurring as Abu Saheeh’s plan went into action, but by the time I read the final words and had a little time to process everything, I felt that the story had ended appropriately. In many ways, it is like a modern day tragedy – a peek into the war-torn lives of Middle Eastern countries, where everyday events seem extraordinary because of their horrifying nature. For American readers who only see these events recapped in newspapers and on television, Abu Saheeh’s and Layla’s stories will certainly touch a more personal nerve.
If you’re interested in checking out One Hundred and One Nights or learning more about Buchholz’s time in Iraq, it is definitely worth checking out Buchholz’s blog, Not Quite Right.
Benjamin Buchholz’s One Hundred and One Nights (published this December) is the story of Abu Saheeh, an Iraqi mobile phone merchant (or so it seems) living in Safwan whose life is changed by the presence of a teenage girl named Layla. She first appears as a poor street rat – a nuisance to merchants – but Abu Saheeh ends up forming a relationship with her that effects him mentally and emotionally in more ways than one.
One Hundred and One Nights opens with Layla’s first visit to Abu Saheeh’s phone store. Her innocent questions and comments about American culture make her a loveable character from the very start – even Abu Saheeh cannot judge her for two long. Her affection for American life amuses this man who once lived in America himself when he was pursuing a career in medicine. Before he knows it he is sucked into her carefree and curious personality. Her interest in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and her tendency to sing and dance to Britney Spears could be considered blasphemous and inappropriate by many, but Abu Saheeh attempts to find excuses for this girl who has entered his life at one of its most stressful and monumental points. As the novel progresses, readers learn that Abu Saheeh has a hidden agenda that he is struggling with inwardly, and the heaviness of his future plans begin to play with his mind in ways that make reality and insanity one in the same.
Buchholz channels his own experience of living for a year in Safwan with his family in order to create a realistic and visual picture of life in Iraq. Buchholz explained the origin of his idea for One Hundred and One Nights to The Huffington Post. Witnessing the death of a young girl run over by a convoy sent his mind reeling:
“The experience of this girl’s death haunted me, both because of the sudden shock of the situation and because the girl had been roughly the same age as my own sons. Her image, seared onto the film of my mind’s eye, stayed with me not only as a soldier but also, more importantly, as a father. I wrote about her, at first, as catharsis. And from that kindred father-feeling I birthed the idea of Abu Saheeh’s situation in “One Hundred and One Nights.” I appropriated my own feelings about the death of the six-year-old girl and I projected them onto Abu Saheeh as the young girl Layla latched onto him in the market place, infecting his loose grip on the world and threatening to unravel all the work he had done to overcome his sense of dislocation and his hidden, insurmountable grief.”
It isn’t very often that an author is able to pinpoint exactly what his intentions are for a character and actually pull them off seamlessly, but after reading Buchholz’s explanation on how the idea of Layla and Abu Saheeh came to be, I must say he nailed it. Abu Saheeh’s feelings for Layla mirror that of a father – in fact, there are times in which he admits that he considers Layla a daughter figure. His concerns when she doesn’t show up to his store and the affection he shows for her when no one else will give her the time of day contrast greatly with the other things occurring in his storyline. Layla is an outlier, an ingredient in his life that makes everything else seem trivial. Her immense power over him is both impressive and terrifying and makes readers wonder what lies in Abu Saheeh’s past that makes Layla’s presence so affecting.
Buchholz keeps Abu Saheeh’s past vague throughout the novel, treating readers to short italicized memories at the end of each chapter. These flashbacks create a full explanation just as the present timeline comes to a head in a shocking climax that will go over well with some readers and seem over-the-top with others. I personally found the ending of One Hundred and One Nights to be unbelievable in a believable way, if that makes any sense. I couldn’t fathom what was occurring as Abu Saheeh’s plan went into action, but by the time I read the final words and had a little time to process everything, I felt that the story had ended appropriately. In many ways, it is like a modern day tragedy – a peek into the war-torn lives of Middle Eastern countries, where everyday events seem extraordinary because of their horrifying nature. For American readers who only see these events recapped in newspapers and on television, Abu Saheeh’s and Layla’s stories will certainly touch a more personal nerve.
If you’re interested in checking out One Hundred and One Nights or learning more about Buchholz’s time in Iraq, it is definitely worth checking out Buchholz’s blog, Not Quite Right.
January 16, 2016
After 13 years in America, Abu Saheeh has returned to his native Iraq, a nation transformed by the American military presence. Alone in a new city, he has exactly what he wants: freedom from his past. Then he meets Layla, a whimsical fourteen-year-old girl who enchants him with her love of American pop culture. Enchanted by Layla’s stories and her company, Abu Saheeh settles into the city’s rhythm and begins rebuilding his life. But two sudden developments–his alliance with a powerful merchant and his employment of a hot-headed young assistant–reawaken painful memories, and not even Layla may be able to save Abu Saheeh from careening out of control and endangering all around them.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I originally found out about this author and this book from an article in a local newspaper. The author is from a town about 25 miles from me and when I read the synopsis above of the story I knew I just had to get a copy.
Abu Saheeh has a routine to each day and Layla interrupts that routine. As the story continues we get a better understanding of the routine and the pressures he is facing. Trying to rebuild his life and forgetting about his past is no easy task.
The story starts out slowly and builds and builds with several unexpected twists. Through the use of flashbacks we learn not only about Abu Saheeh but about the people of Iraq and the way the country has changed. How the past effects the present and the future. The metamorphosis that has taken place due to the ravages of war. Things you can never understand without being there physically, but Buchholz does his best to take us there with his talent of brilliant storytelling. The blowing sand fills every crack and crevice, the convoys of Humvees and transport trucks is unending, the devastation is right before your eyes as you walk through the marketplace. You will be deeply affected by this story. It is heart wrenching and is truly unforgettable.
Benjamin Buchholz is an amazing writer to bring this story to fruition just from his experience during his one-year deployment in Iraq with the Wisconsin National Guard and his continuing studies. His insights into these situations are astounding. He brings Abu Saheeh and Layla to life in an remarkable way. His words share with us the story that goes untold. Life in a place most of will only see on television and then highly edited. I can’t believe this is his first novel.
I understand he is at work on his next novel and I am anxiously awaiting it. This is definitely an author to watch!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I originally found out about this author and this book from an article in a local newspaper. The author is from a town about 25 miles from me and when I read the synopsis above of the story I knew I just had to get a copy.
Abu Saheeh has a routine to each day and Layla interrupts that routine. As the story continues we get a better understanding of the routine and the pressures he is facing. Trying to rebuild his life and forgetting about his past is no easy task.
The story starts out slowly and builds and builds with several unexpected twists. Through the use of flashbacks we learn not only about Abu Saheeh but about the people of Iraq and the way the country has changed. How the past effects the present and the future. The metamorphosis that has taken place due to the ravages of war. Things you can never understand without being there physically, but Buchholz does his best to take us there with his talent of brilliant storytelling. The blowing sand fills every crack and crevice, the convoys of Humvees and transport trucks is unending, the devastation is right before your eyes as you walk through the marketplace. You will be deeply affected by this story. It is heart wrenching and is truly unforgettable.
Benjamin Buchholz is an amazing writer to bring this story to fruition just from his experience during his one-year deployment in Iraq with the Wisconsin National Guard and his continuing studies. His insights into these situations are astounding. He brings Abu Saheeh and Layla to life in an remarkable way. His words share with us the story that goes untold. Life in a place most of will only see on television and then highly edited. I can’t believe this is his first novel.
I understand he is at work on his next novel and I am anxiously awaiting it. This is definitely an author to watch!
January 1, 2012
To start with, this book was not at all what I expected. The author is an American solider, who spent time serving in the Middle East. I never thought he'd be able to write in the voice of an Iraqi man (and as a white American woman, I am not perhaps the best judge of how successful he is at this endeavor), but I actually think he did a good job. At the end of the book there is an interview with the author and he does a great job of explaining why he writes as an Iraqi and not an American. The main characters in the book are Iraqi men, and then one young Iraqi girl. And I enjoyed them all, with Layla, the young Iraqi girl, being very charming.
The cover photo, and the book title, confuse me a bit, I'm not quite sure how they fit with the story (the woman on the cover being older than Layla would be, and the title making me think of a woman trying to save herself from a despotic ruler by telling stories -neither a match for the book). With that said.... the author does mention in his interview that there is one story in "One Hundred and One Nights" that probes western culture affecting the Middle East, and how it can produce beauty, confrontation and even calamity. Shows how long it has been since I have read One Hundred and One Nights.
I did like the story. But perhaps what I liked best about the book was something the author discusses in his intentions in writing the book. He talks about how the bombings on American convoys really affected him. He says, "Abu Saheeh's story is an attempt, on one hand, to understand and empathize with the types of personalized hatred and personalized loss and personalized dementia that I believe to be at the core of the mind set required for someone to perpetuate a bombing or to kill another human being." I can't tell you HOW many times I, as a Muslim, have watched the news and asked (screamedin utter theological confusion?) WHY when I've seen Muslims commit suicide bombings. So I really appreciated this book's attempt to answer that why and I think it did a really job of exploring the answer.
The cover photo, and the book title, confuse me a bit, I'm not quite sure how they fit with the story (the woman on the cover being older than Layla would be, and the title making me think of a woman trying to save herself from a despotic ruler by telling stories -neither a match for the book). With that said.... the author does mention in his interview that there is one story in "One Hundred and One Nights" that probes western culture affecting the Middle East, and how it can produce beauty, confrontation and even calamity. Shows how long it has been since I have read One Hundred and One Nights.
I did like the story. But perhaps what I liked best about the book was something the author discusses in his intentions in writing the book. He talks about how the bombings on American convoys really affected him. He says, "Abu Saheeh's story is an attempt, on one hand, to understand and empathize with the types of personalized hatred and personalized loss and personalized dementia that I believe to be at the core of the mind set required for someone to perpetuate a bombing or to kill another human being." I can't tell you HOW many times I, as a Muslim, have watched the news and asked (screamedin utter theological confusion?) WHY when I've seen Muslims commit suicide bombings. So I really appreciated this book's attempt to answer that why and I think it did a really job of exploring the answer.
January 4, 2012
Ben Buchholz is one of the most interesting new writers I've read in the past few years. He has a quality that I am hard put to define...it has to do with a poetic flair, and a just-out-of-my-grasp dreamy reality that reminds me of the various merits of writers like Joyce, Brautigan and Pynchon. It is writing multi-layered with meaning, metaphor,and imagery. For me, it is always a challenge. I chew on it, wresting all the goodness from it, always wary that I don't miss an important detail. All of that is to say I enjoy his work enormously. I've loved his short stories and this debut novel did not disappoint.
The protag is an Iraqi whose life spirals down a surprising path, taking the reader on a wild and unexpected ride. I have always found the middle eastern culture to have a built-in mystery, an exotic view of life, perhaps due to the religious aspects of that world. Buchholz maximizes that mystery, by delving into the mind set and stream of consciousness of one civilian man, in the midst of war, trying to find himself and his old life. It is a ballet of internal dialogue that is quite remarkable.
The 100 and One Nights title of the book forced me to puzzle out the Scheherazade story, but my only conclusion was that Buchholz's version is no fairytale. Layla, the young girl in the story is certainly a key to unlocking this story, and one roots for her even when the truth is evident.
The protag is an Iraqi whose life spirals down a surprising path, taking the reader on a wild and unexpected ride. I have always found the middle eastern culture to have a built-in mystery, an exotic view of life, perhaps due to the religious aspects of that world. Buchholz maximizes that mystery, by delving into the mind set and stream of consciousness of one civilian man, in the midst of war, trying to find himself and his old life. It is a ballet of internal dialogue that is quite remarkable.
The 100 and One Nights title of the book forced me to puzzle out the Scheherazade story, but my only conclusion was that Buchholz's version is no fairytale. Layla, the young girl in the story is certainly a key to unlocking this story, and one roots for her even when the truth is evident.
Read
April 7, 2023Constructed around a mysterious narrator's appearance in Southern Iraqi town during the Iraq War, the novel uses an almost military pattern of repetition to peel back the layers on the narrator's role in the town's politics. We learn he is an aristocratic-born, Western-educated doctor in hiding, and only a few of the townspeople share his secret--but the faerie-like Leila, a young female visitor, threatens to upset his plan.
I wanted to love this book, and may return to it later this year. I set it aside after encountering a disturbing scene of animal cruelty (sorry, often one of my dealbreakers for a book's sensibility), and though the scene served its part in the book I had a hard time picking it back up again and continuing. Once you lose momentum, it's tough to get it back--even when there is a good mystery in the making.
Buchholz is otherwise a deft writer with a surprisingly lyrical style. He writes from his experience as a US soldier in the world and maintains an interesting blog of Middle Eastern contradictions, Not Quite Right.
I wanted to love this book, and may return to it later this year. I set it aside after encountering a disturbing scene of animal cruelty (sorry, often one of my dealbreakers for a book's sensibility), and though the scene served its part in the book I had a hard time picking it back up again and continuing. Once you lose momentum, it's tough to get it back--even when there is a good mystery in the making.
Buchholz is otherwise a deft writer with a surprisingly lyrical style. He writes from his experience as a US soldier in the world and maintains an interesting blog of Middle Eastern contradictions, Not Quite Right.
December 18, 2011
A Hundred and One Nights is a fearless and seductive piece of ventriloquism by a storyteller in full command of his craft. With spare, lyrical prose, Benjamin Buchholz draws us into the mind of an Iraqi doctor haunted by the violence he has witnessed. In search of healing, Abu Saheeh moves from Baghdad to a small town in southern Iraq. But even as he begins to forge a new life and a friendship with an enchanting young girl named Layla, the horrors of his past rear up, threatening to destroy all he holds dear. Buchholz’s first novel is a spike in the heart, a powerful testimony to the insanity of war and the undeniable demands of love.
February 17, 2013
One Hundred and One Nights is the second debut novel I've read this month with voracity and delight. What a GREAT read! Written from the viewpoint of an Iraqui doctor, schooled in Chicago, the story unfolds in ways both mysterious and heart-wrenching. I was completely taken in from the very first chapter. I'm perhaps gullible, but I didn't atually understand what was really happening until about half way through the book. At that AHA moment, I was in awe of Buchholz and his ability to both touch and to educate in a single paragraph. I highly recommend this one.
December 19, 2011
I received this book from goodreads.com for free. This book was very well done. The childs' fascination with American movies and actors pulls you in. It was a fantastic look into the lives, behaviors and beliefs of the Muslim people. Very well done and already passed on to friends to read!
January 4, 2012
i finished this book over Christmas break. Even though the story is quite sad,I enjoyed the charectors that Buchholz developed. You felt as if you really did know these people. My heart went out to "Father Truth".
January 2, 2012
I loved the idea of this book, but felt a bit let down. It sort of dragged the first 3/4 of the book, and then attempted to wrap it all up too quickly. The characters and plot were brilliant. I suppose it was just a matter of editing. For his first novel, he did good - his idea was great!
December 7, 2011
Captivating characters--I loved Abu Saheeh's steadiness placed against Layla's bubbling personality! I didn't foresee where the book was headed at all. A pleasant rarity for me.
Currently reading
January 1, 2012Too good to set down, will be done soon.
Want to read
August 30, 2015Won this via firstreads giveaway. Looking forward to reading it when it arrives.
January 30, 2024
This book has sat on my shelf for over a decade. When it fit one of the prompts for my challenge, I decided it was time to read it. I'm the sort of person who tries to educate myself about current events. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were covered heavily in the news. I had read books about Afghanistan but not Iraq. So, when I originally saw this pop up in my suggested books on Amazon, back when it came out, I was interested. I liked the idea of an American soldier writing a fiction book from the perspective of someone from the region he was stationed in as a way trying to see the situation there from their perspective and to try to process his time stationed there. I hoped that this book would be done well and that Iraqis could read this and see their experiences reflected in an honest way in the writing. I really enjoyed the stream of consciousness style of writing and thought it suited the purpose of this book well. For the first half of the book, I thought the author was successful at creating an authentic voice.
This book is about a man named Abu Saheeh who returns to a small town in Iraq after having lived in America for over ten years. At the beginning of the book, the reader knows very little about the man's backstory. That slowly gets uncovered as the book progresses. By the half-way point, there are a few things that are mysterious about Abu Saheeh. First, who is this street girl named Layla? She visits his stall almost every day with stories and bits of American pop culture. At first it is not clear whether she is real or just a figment of his imagination. Second, it is clear that Abu Saheeh does not like his brother Yasin. Yasin is cruel to him and other creatures. (I had tried reading this book when I was younger and I stopped at the part when Yasin killed the kitten.) Their father thinks that Abu Saheeh is intelligent and has a future whereas Yasin gets to channel his cruelty into a military career. Still, I was left wondering why he had such a poor relationship with his brother who we discover did not talk to him for ten years. And third, Abu Saheeh mentions that he is getting remarried. He chronicles his history with Nadia, the girl he has been engaged to be married to since childhood. As she plans to join him in America, I had assumed that they would have gotten married. But that becomes less clear with the introduction of Annie, a beautiful American woman who goes to jail for murdering her husband. Did Abu Saheeh really throw it all away for a chance with Annie?
I finished two-thirds of this book before I had to stop. I went in wanting to read a good portrayal of an Iraqi who had experienced war. I had hoped that a former soldier would do them justice. But I was just let down by the book. The book doesn't really start until the half-way mark and by then it started going downhill in my eyes. It started with Annie. Why is she so alluring? Why does he make plans to run away with her and leave his fiance with his best friend? Why is his ex-fiance so obsessed with him. You can tell a man wrote this book.... in a bad way.
Traditional guy set to marry traditional girl and then changes his mind sudddenly when he meets a crazy, beautiful woman who killed her husband. But the ex-fiance remains obsessed with him even after getting married and starting a family with his best friend. He recalls times when she starts to come on to him when his friend goes away for work. Then he decides he wants to build bombs with his protégé. I don't mean to gloss over this. This pissed me off. Seriously, you can't write a book where the main character isn't a terrorist? Then his ex-fiance appears in his shop and ends up seducing the protégé because she thinks it's him. And he gets to watch. And the protégé utters the words "God Bless America!"
HARD PASS.
This book is about a man named Abu Saheeh who returns to a small town in Iraq after having lived in America for over ten years. At the beginning of the book, the reader knows very little about the man's backstory. That slowly gets uncovered as the book progresses. By the half-way point, there are a few things that are mysterious about Abu Saheeh. First, who is this street girl named Layla? She visits his stall almost every day with stories and bits of American pop culture. At first it is not clear whether she is real or just a figment of his imagination. Second, it is clear that Abu Saheeh does not like his brother Yasin. Yasin is cruel to him and other creatures. (I had tried reading this book when I was younger and I stopped at the part when Yasin killed the kitten.) Their father thinks that Abu Saheeh is intelligent and has a future whereas Yasin gets to channel his cruelty into a military career. Still, I was left wondering why he had such a poor relationship with his brother who we discover did not talk to him for ten years. And third, Abu Saheeh mentions that he is getting remarried. He chronicles his history with Nadia, the girl he has been engaged to be married to since childhood. As she plans to join him in America, I had assumed that they would have gotten married. But that becomes less clear with the introduction of Annie, a beautiful American woman who goes to jail for murdering her husband. Did Abu Saheeh really throw it all away for a chance with Annie?
I finished two-thirds of this book before I had to stop. I went in wanting to read a good portrayal of an Iraqi who had experienced war. I had hoped that a former soldier would do them justice. But I was just let down by the book. The book doesn't really start until the half-way mark and by then it started going downhill in my eyes. It started with Annie. Why is she so alluring? Why does he make plans to run away with her and leave his fiance with his best friend? Why is his ex-fiance so obsessed with him. You can tell a man wrote this book.... in a bad way.
Traditional guy set to marry traditional girl and then changes his mind sudddenly when he meets a crazy, beautiful woman who killed her husband. But the ex-fiance remains obsessed with him even after getting married and starting a family with his best friend. He recalls times when she starts to come on to him when his friend goes away for work. Then he decides he wants to build bombs with his protégé. I don't mean to gloss over this. This pissed me off. Seriously, you can't write a book where the main character isn't a terrorist? Then his ex-fiance appears in his shop and ends up seducing the protégé because she thinks it's him. And he gets to watch. And the protégé utters the words "God Bless America!"
HARD PASS.
June 28, 2018
Benjamin Buchholz served in the US war in Iraq. Although all the characters in this novel are Iraqis, the mental devastation of the main character I think represents the US soldier's guilt - his PTSD. Perhaps if you read this you can understand what our soldiers bring home with them. In that sense there may be a redeeming value. However a western warrior writing through the eyes of an Iraqi, explaining their tribes, customs and culture is so wrong, on so many levels. Talk about cultural appropriation! Here is a country if not a culture that the US tried it’s damnedest to destroy. One wonders out of all US troops that were in Iraq, how many of those troops saw Iraqis as rag heads or gooks (to use a disparagement from a previous war.) Here’s one troop who sees into the culture we’re destroying — or tries to. Hooray! For this fact alone we should thank him for his service (as much as that phrase sours in my stomach.) For a representative of the country that shouldn’t be there in Iraq In the first place to appropriate the voice of an Iraqi citizen— the last thing they have left— is wrong, just wrong.
March 16, 2018
Very interesting main character, circumstances, and cultures. I was confused sometimes about the main character’s mental state and also who were allies and foes, but this added to the intrigue. Overall, it was sad although there were little moments of happiness.
June 5, 2018
This book fucked with me emotionally and not in a good way. I skipped the last day we discussed it in my English class because I really just couldn't spend more time on this book. It's horrible. Don't ever read it.
August 25, 2021
Writing was fantastic, but the story felt a bit forced at times. Overall great read.
January 6, 2012
Review from my blog (http://inkspotsandroses.blogspot.com/...
I want to first start off by saying a few things about this book. First of all, it is not what I expected- at all. Second, there are so many little parts that give away secrets to the main plot that I don't want to go into a ton of detail. The story itself seemed like it was going to be one of those long, drawn out, never-gets-to-the-point kind of stories. I was happily mistaken by this idea!
One Hundred and One Nights starts off slow, but the pace really does pick up quite quickly. Abu Saheeh returns to a small town in Iraq after over a decade of living in America. There are obvious parts of his American life that he just can not leave behind, even though he tries his best to become a simple mobile phone salesman in Safwan, Iraq. Everything from his American life suddenly comes back though when he meets a girl, Layla.
Layla is a street rat, but she has taken an interest in our mobile phone salesman and visits him nightly. She talks of American things; songs of aliens, dancing like Brittany Spears, and other ideas that would be considered vulgar in her culture. Abu Saheeh takes a very dear liking to this girl and she not only becomes important to him emotionally, but mentally as well.
Through out the book Abu Saheeh's life as an American is shown through flashbacks at the ends of the chapters. It is very interesting to see how his present day life is related to these flashbacks. About halfway through the book you start to understand a bit more about what exactly is going on plot wise. Some of the twists and turns in the plot were very unexpected, but very welcome!
I loved this book even though I thought it was going to be slow moving. Once the pace picked up I just couldn't stop reading it. The characters were so well developed I actually was having dreams with them!
Buchholz did a great job showing us war in Iraq from a different perspective than what we see on the news. He really tapped into the viewpoints of the Iraqi people and showed a side to their life that is never really discussed.
I want to first start off by saying a few things about this book. First of all, it is not what I expected- at all. Second, there are so many little parts that give away secrets to the main plot that I don't want to go into a ton of detail. The story itself seemed like it was going to be one of those long, drawn out, never-gets-to-the-point kind of stories. I was happily mistaken by this idea!
One Hundred and One Nights starts off slow, but the pace really does pick up quite quickly. Abu Saheeh returns to a small town in Iraq after over a decade of living in America. There are obvious parts of his American life that he just can not leave behind, even though he tries his best to become a simple mobile phone salesman in Safwan, Iraq. Everything from his American life suddenly comes back though when he meets a girl, Layla.
Layla is a street rat, but she has taken an interest in our mobile phone salesman and visits him nightly. She talks of American things; songs of aliens, dancing like Brittany Spears, and other ideas that would be considered vulgar in her culture. Abu Saheeh takes a very dear liking to this girl and she not only becomes important to him emotionally, but mentally as well.
Through out the book Abu Saheeh's life as an American is shown through flashbacks at the ends of the chapters. It is very interesting to see how his present day life is related to these flashbacks. About halfway through the book you start to understand a bit more about what exactly is going on plot wise. Some of the twists and turns in the plot were very unexpected, but very welcome!
I loved this book even though I thought it was going to be slow moving. Once the pace picked up I just couldn't stop reading it. The characters were so well developed I actually was having dreams with them!
Buchholz did a great job showing us war in Iraq from a different perspective than what we see on the news. He really tapped into the viewpoints of the Iraqi people and showed a side to their life that is never really discussed.
January 26, 2012
Benjamin Bucholtz perfectly captures the monotony of Abu Saheeh’s days watching convoys travel past his mobile phone business carrying supplies, troops and prisoners between Kuwait and war-torn Iraq. Just as the reader is lulled into complacency by the military routine, the unrelenting sand and the oppressive heat of the locale, we discover that Abu Sayeeh (whose name translates as Father Truth) is not what he seems, and begin to wonder how this Iraqi doctor educated in the United States finds himself alone in this small town, captivated by Layla, a local girl young enough to be his daughter, who is an anomaly in Safwan with her blue eyes and unorthodox western mannerisms. Through flash-backs to his past Sayeeh’s motivations, damaged psyche and true purpose are revealed as he grapples with sanity and lets go of the lies that define his public persona.
I enjoyed Bucholtz’s writing style and the basic structure of the novel, but there were two serious flaws that, in my opinion, detracted from the quality of this work. I didn’t think that the Iraqi perspective felt quite genuine: Saheeh’s attitudes seemed very western, even for an Iraqi educated in Chicago, and I wonder whether Bucholtz might have written an even better novel from an American character’s perspective. When past and present finally come crashing together at the end, Sayeeh’s sanity is in jeopardy, and as this is written in the first person, it is pretty challenging for the reader to find the truths in the narrative. All in all, this is a worthwhile read and certainly leaves the reader thinking about what motivates the seemingly pointless destruction and loss of lives in times of war, and how family ties can become jumbled in the heat of the fray.
I enjoyed Bucholtz’s writing style and the basic structure of the novel, but there were two serious flaws that, in my opinion, detracted from the quality of this work. I didn’t think that the Iraqi perspective felt quite genuine: Saheeh’s attitudes seemed very western, even for an Iraqi educated in Chicago, and I wonder whether Bucholtz might have written an even better novel from an American character’s perspective. When past and present finally come crashing together at the end, Sayeeh’s sanity is in jeopardy, and as this is written in the first person, it is pretty challenging for the reader to find the truths in the narrative. All in all, this is a worthwhile read and certainly leaves the reader thinking about what motivates the seemingly pointless destruction and loss of lives in times of war, and how family ties can become jumbled in the heat of the fray.
June 4, 2013
This book confirms what we think of war. Ask the people whose countries and families are affected by it. The politics of war which is decided by a few in power and we read about the morality and fight for peace has far reaching effects on a common man who wants a peaceful daily life for himself. The common man is the collateral damage of war and it is in their sacrifice and pain that change happens.
This book was written hauntingly and brings out the effect of war on families. Abu Saheeh and his friend Bashir come back and settle down in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein having plans of bringing Iraq around. They come to a lot of military presence, other Islamic factions that have entered Iraq to take advantage and fight among the Sunnis and Shia to gain a foothold to rule Iraq. There is chaos and Abu Saheeh loses his young daughter in a bombing. He goes crazy blames himself for bringing his family into this chaos. He is so embittered by everything that sometimes reality seems like halluciation and sometimes halluciations seem like real. The cost of war on humans is so well brought about the author and loss makes it seem so useless! A haunting read!
This book was written hauntingly and brings out the effect of war on families. Abu Saheeh and his friend Bashir come back and settle down in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein having plans of bringing Iraq around. They come to a lot of military presence, other Islamic factions that have entered Iraq to take advantage and fight among the Sunnis and Shia to gain a foothold to rule Iraq. There is chaos and Abu Saheeh loses his young daughter in a bombing. He goes crazy blames himself for bringing his family into this chaos. He is so embittered by everything that sometimes reality seems like halluciation and sometimes halluciations seem like real. The cost of war on humans is so well brought about the author and loss makes it seem so useless! A haunting read!
July 19, 2012
As literary terrain, Iraq has been well-ploughed in recent years - Jarhead, Life in the Emerald City, but the debut author, Benjamin Buchholz, cleverly chooses to show the Iraqi perspective to shine a fresh light. Our protagonist, Abu Saheeh moves back and forth in his memories, contrasting the past of his childhood upbringing and eventual move to Chicago, with his present attempt to forge a career in a war-torn country. On meeting a beggar girl, Layla, who is fascinated with US culture, Abu is reminded of what he has sacrificed, but is also given hope of a better future.
As the novel progresses, he is caught between the influences of the West and home, of his present fiancée and the childhood girl he abandoned, and in making choices, he increasingly doubts the difference between truth and imagination. Buchholz shows a deft touch for a first-time novellist, and it would be a great disappointment if his military career prevents him from fulfilling his literary potential.
As the novel progresses, he is caught between the influences of the West and home, of his present fiancée and the childhood girl he abandoned, and in making choices, he increasingly doubts the difference between truth and imagination. Buchholz shows a deft touch for a first-time novellist, and it would be a great disappointment if his military career prevents him from fulfilling his literary potential.
September 23, 2012
Author Benjamin Buchholz weaves touching story with twists and turns. You can feel the anguish coming through Abu Saheeh, the books main character. His return to his homeland Iraq is cause for time to review his life past and future. Abu's story tells heart-wrenching stories of the different people in his new place of residence in Iraq bordering on Kuwait.
Abu feels like a foreigner among his own people. It doesn't help that he is new to the a city that is stuck in limbo. With the Americans still using their roads to continue a war in the distance yet so close. Abu's days are disrupted unexpectedly by a young girl, who penchant for all things American, borders on blasphemy in their Muslim world.
But as the story unfolds we wonder if the city has a right to be skeptical of Abu. Abu's is a stranger with secrets and a mission. The question is whose side is he on?
Abu feels like a foreigner among his own people. It doesn't help that he is new to the a city that is stuck in limbo. With the Americans still using their roads to continue a war in the distance yet so close. Abu's days are disrupted unexpectedly by a young girl, who penchant for all things American, borders on blasphemy in their Muslim world.
But as the story unfolds we wonder if the city has a right to be skeptical of Abu. Abu's is a stranger with secrets and a mission. The question is whose side is he on?
December 1, 2013
To start I will admit that I stopped and started this book twice. That wasn't because I wasn't enjoying it, I just had other commitments that needed my attention. Buchholz book starts out with the seemingly innocent story of a man looking to start over in war torn Iraq. He is seemingly a simple man, with simple routines who sells mobile phones and is trying to be a positive cog in the community. The story does a wonderful job of lulling you into this belief, while opening the door to his past that may or may not have been positive.
Buchholz debut is a good one. He has fully formed characters and while it was written by an American, one can sense that he was very delicate in ensuring that the characters were not stereotypes. The themes of the book are consistent with little to no extra frill.
Buchholz debut is a good one. He has fully formed characters and while it was written by an American, one can sense that he was very delicate in ensuring that the characters were not stereotypes. The themes of the book are consistent with little to no extra frill.
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June 18, 2012I liked some things about this book, especially the context (geographical and cultural) and the protagonist, whom I found interesting and compelling. He's an Iraqi doctor turned cell phone salesman who has recently returned to an Iraqi village from several years of education, training and life in the US. He's a man with secrets. I liked the thoughtful, perceptive and open-minded author explanation for writing this novel from the perspective of an Iraqi man (in an Q/A at the end). I did not care for the flow of the book nor the flashbacks and I found large chunks of the story to be really confusing. The author clears up all confusion in the end, but by then my interest and my appreciation of the novel had waned.
August 7, 2012
At the beginning, I was very excited about this book. Buchholz's experiences make his narrative so well-informed and life-like. I like that he wove parts of Abu Shaheeh's past into the narrative in a way that seemed fresh rather than formulaic, and the allusions to a deeper past are well-placed. In the last third of the book, the narrator's dreams get in the way of advancing the narrative and confused me about the progression of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel for the perspective it provides on the history between Iraq and Kuwait and the current situation in Iraq, but I thought the story became bogged down toward the end.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel for the perspective it provides on the history between Iraq and Kuwait and the current situation in Iraq, but I thought the story became bogged down toward the end.
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