The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit

First of all: Yes. I'm going to be in Silver Spring Feb 11-24. Hope we can get together.

Now I'll tell you what I'm not reading: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I disliked it intensely.

OTOH what I just finished is The Man in the White Sharskin Suit. Written by the youngest child from a Jewish family that left Cairo in 1963. As one of the reviews suggests, it's a real "riches to rags" story. The narrative is helped by the fact that the author now writes for the WSJ. Her portrayal of life in Cairo -- even after the establishment of the State of Israel and another war in '56 -- is all the more poignant because you know what has to happen. It's just a matter of when and how. And of course what happens after they leave Cairo. I know there is no lack of memoirs that search for a missing family or a missing life. But this one is different.

I'm debating about my next read. I'm considering Divisadero (Michael Ondaatje), On the Road (Kerouac) and Kafka on the Shore by Murakami. I've also got The Reluctant Fundamentalist but I think given the events in Mumbai last week I may postpone that for a while.

That's it for now.

Ed.