It is rare to come across a book like John Updike's latest novel, Terrorist: A Novel. The book is so well-written that despite the almost nauseating amount of hatred emanating from its pages, it is difficult for the reader to put down. This hatred, which nearly obscures Updike's true motive, drives the reader to keep reading on and keep guessing, "Just how far will Updike go?"
The realities of topics are not softened when discussed. The book opens on a post-September 11 world when American anti-Arabic sentiment is at its height. Teenager Ahmad Ashmawy Mulloy despises the filth that he feels American society tries to inflict upon him as a distraction from his true, fundamentalist Islamic "straight" path by the vices of materialism, sex and Hollywood.
As he is about to graduate from Central High School, Ahmad planned to obtain his commercial driver's license in order to fulfill the will of Allah. These plans quickly become complicated when he sparks the interest of his depressed Jewish guidance counselor Jack Levy.
Having met with Ahmad and discussed his deep devotion to his faith, Mr. Levy is initially frightened by the pupil's devotion, strengthening Levy's resolve to bring alternatve options to Ahmad's attention. Compounding issues are Ahmad's growing interest in his fallen African-American female friend, Joryleen, and Levy's budding romantic interest and extramarital affair with Ahmad's abandoned Catholic mother.
After graduating, Ahmad begins working as a driver for a secondhand furniture company run by a Lebanese immigrant. It is the job itself which begins to test Ahmad's devotion to his faith, Levy's ability to reach out to Ahmad and other characters' faith in themselves, their Gods, American politics and society.
Updike chose an extremely volatile topic for his novel and his writing doesn't skirt around its heart, instead exposing the topic from all angles.
Not content to merely express the anger and prejudice of just one perspective, Updike allows equal time for all, incorporating jabs at any and all ethnic groups his protagonists ar and encounter.: Arabs, Catholics, Jews, are and encounter: Arabs,
Catholics, Jews, Americans, African-Americans, Republicans, Democrats, Lutherans, and many more. While such remarks could have been made in poor taste, within Terrorist's context, they serve as testimony that no one particular group is solely being judged or is judgmental themselves, but instead all are harboring resentment, jealousy and fear of the others.
Updike's voice in writing this novel is extremely clear. The placement of each word is calculated in order to maximize its impact even, and especially, the graphic details of violence, religion and sex. Much attention is paid to the development of his characters; the novel's biggest success is in its ability to create characters about whose fate the reader is deeply invested. Such emotional involvement by the reader allows the novel to reach its full impact and deliver its message about the ills of today's society.
Initially the novel appears to be about a completely different topic from its end. Masquerading for the first chapter as a book solely devoted to telling the tale of Ahmad's quest to manhood, the story slowly gathers speed and begins to highlight many issues affecting today's society, from terror alerts to religious and ethnic intolerance.
The treatment of such things is uninhibited and rings true, managing to be critical of occurrences, but not providing an alternative. Instead, Updike presents situations in his novel as unfolding and simply happening without anyone taking the time to prevent or change them. Being an eerie parallel to reality, the increasingly complicated story of Ahmad is a pessimistic bildungsroman highlighting the condition of today's society.
