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sophia_sol) wrote2020-06-18 07:01 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2020-06-18 07:01 pm
The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P Djèlí Clark
This novella is a complete delight! Taking place in early 20th century Cairo, in a version of the world with supernatural creatures and mechanical automatons and an altered political reality, the setting feels to me almost like the main character of the book. Throughout the events of the actual plot (the titular haunting), is woven in the city's focus on an upcoming decision on whether women will get the vote, and the climax of both parts happen simultaneously.
Hamed, the viewpoint character, is a government worker in a ministry focused on the supernatural. This too is grounded: the sort of job where he has to worry about departmental budgets and paperwork, not glamorous exciting missions. Together Hamed and his junior partner Onsi must investigate whatever is haunting one of the city's tram cars and attacking passengers, and hopefully exorcise it.
In the process they meet all sorts of interesting Cairene city folk, including: a genderfluid djinn, a woman who works in a restaurant who enjoys discussing supernatural philosophy, an emancipated automaton, a subculture of women dealing with the supernatural in an entirely different way than Hamed's ministry does, and a whole lot of people agitating for suffrage.
Hamed is a very practical-minded man who wants to be modern in his thoughts but is only mostly there. He's an interesting choice of viewpoint on this vibrant and diverse city but I think it works. And I really liked the comparisons between him and Onsi (eager, wants to do things right, easily distracted by his enthusiasms), and between him and all the various women we meet.
And I loved that in the end it was the two of them AND a whole crowd of women who worked together to deal with the being who was doing the haunting! And then in the end when Hamed gets his picture in the paper for his success, and the picture is of him in disguise as a pregnant woman (because of reasons), it doesn't even occur to him to feel weird about it, he just wonders if it would be too prideful of him to hang a copy on his office wall.
Loved this book, would 100% read more books set in this version of Cairo. (and apparently there IS another one! About Fatma!!! gotta check that out!) And Clark is now two for two on writing books I adore. Clearly an author to look out for!
Hamed, the viewpoint character, is a government worker in a ministry focused on the supernatural. This too is grounded: the sort of job where he has to worry about departmental budgets and paperwork, not glamorous exciting missions. Together Hamed and his junior partner Onsi must investigate whatever is haunting one of the city's tram cars and attacking passengers, and hopefully exorcise it.
In the process they meet all sorts of interesting Cairene city folk, including: a genderfluid djinn, a woman who works in a restaurant who enjoys discussing supernatural philosophy, an emancipated automaton, a subculture of women dealing with the supernatural in an entirely different way than Hamed's ministry does, and a whole lot of people agitating for suffrage.
Hamed is a very practical-minded man who wants to be modern in his thoughts but is only mostly there. He's an interesting choice of viewpoint on this vibrant and diverse city but I think it works. And I really liked the comparisons between him and Onsi (eager, wants to do things right, easily distracted by his enthusiasms), and between him and all the various women we meet.
And I loved that in the end it was the two of them AND a whole crowd of women who worked together to deal with the being who was doing the haunting! And then in the end when Hamed gets his picture in the paper for his success, and the picture is of him in disguise as a pregnant woman (because of reasons), it doesn't even occur to him to feel weird about it, he just wonders if it would be too prideful of him to hang a copy on his office wall.
Loved this book, would 100% read more books set in this version of Cairo. (and apparently there IS another one! About Fatma!!! gotta check that out!) And Clark is now two for two on writing books I adore. Clearly an author to look out for!
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