Still Veiled Allusions

Attempting to be international on this quest for love, so after finishing one set in Ireland, I ventured to Arabia and The Proof of the Honey by Salwa Al Neimi. Very much like Marguerite Duras' The Lover (in fact, Al Neimi even cites her influence), this short novella takes place primarily in the mind of the author, or as her recollections. As an emigre to Paris studying Arabic erotica, Al Neimi's character lauds the lustiness found centuries ago in a pre-fundamentalist Muslim literature. She lives her own lusty life modeled on these old premises but she never fully lifts her veil and all her tales of couplings are intellectually rather than physically tantalizing.

While she is almost Lenny Bruce like in getting the "forbidden" words down in print, they are lifeless, not to mention loveless. In fact, Al Neimi, sounds also like Tina Turner: "What's love got to do with it?" She replays the conversations she has both with male co-workers and female exiles. The former group refers to sexual conquests in jokes; the latter, as gossip, never personal disclosures. Although the female character purports to have had numerous affairs, she divides her experiences into BT and AT, the T being the main male figure, the Thinker, again emphasizing that sex is an intellectual pursuit, notwithstanding the physical benefits the classic Arabic authors describe.

Another short, short book, taking as long to read as yesterday's pedicure and hair styling at the spa. And almost the equivalent of those racy magazines I remember seeing at my father's barber shop: somewhat titillating but neither informative nor romantic.