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Apeirogon
By Column McCann from our Book Club
ARTICLE BY CAROL S .
The Israeli – Palestinian conflict has brought heart-wrenching havoc to the lives of human beings on both sides . Apeirogon by Column McCann tells the true story of Bassam Aramin , a Palestinian whose daughter was killed by a rubber bullet shot by an Israeli soldier , and Rami Elhanan , an Israeli whose daughter was killed in a suicide bombing by Palestinians . Bassam and Rami first seek revenge , then justice , and finally peace . They become best of friends and an international public speaking duo through Combatants for Peace to end the occupation . McCann introduces us to their lost daughters , their families , their lives in Israel and under occupation , the towns and cities , the group for grieving parents , and the activist group , and he lets us hear their voices . They are real people .
Interwoven into this story is a homage to One Thousand and One Nights . The novel comprises 1001 chapters , some of them only a sentence long . The fragments scattered throughout the story of Rami and Bassam are devoted to showing the complexity , diversity , and history of this unique geographical region . Migrating birds are a symbol throughout of timelessness and their indifference to what is happening in the region . On the other hand , we learn that the pattern of the flight of the frigate bird was used to design the Israeli Predator drone . But McCann doesn ’ t stop with birds : he portrays , inter alia , pictures of Borges in Israel , the development of Zyklon B , the feats of Phillipe Petit , the disastrous journey of a missionary along the River Jordan from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea , as well as experimental opera . An apeirogon is a geometric figure with a countably infinite number of sides , and McCann uses this image to create this epic novel .
McCann is an Irish author who was captivated by the story of Bassam and Rami and spent four years on his meticulous research for Apeirogon . Some members of our discussion group found the unconventional numbering of chapters and the crossover of fiction and nonfiction distracting . Most members found the novel impressive and powerful , violent but hopeful , and the fragments brilliant .
Comments
“ The title Apeirogon already creates curiosity : a shape with a countably infinite number of sides . McCann uses a number of
approaches to tell us about the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians , something that almost everybody has an idea of , but here it is from the human point of view . He uses the structure of the beautiful story of One Thousand and One Nights and divides it by two . Two men , two lives , two families , two lands , but the same human experience , which brings them to try to build a possible common future . McCann uses all sorts of symbols , such as birds , interesting stories , and historic events to bring us through the intricate development of a land divided in two countries .” — Tanés H .
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