Albania: Uncertain Journey

Uncertain Journey
by James Rouman

 



 

I had a difficult time settling on a book set in Albania. I really wanted to read something by Ismail Kadare, the literary darling of Albania who was a contender for the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature, but the local library didn't have a single one of his books. So I picked this one up instead.

Uncertain Journey takes place in Greece and the United States, with only the background of the main character's life story taking place in Albania. Rejep is an illegal immigrant who left Albania in search of a better life. I have an abiding interest in stories about immigrants and find it interesting to consider at what point an immigrant's tale becomes emblematic of the destination country rather than the origin country. This book wasn't quite that ambitious, but it did a decent job of putting a face on the often faceless and controversial issue of illegal immigration.

Rejep decides to leave Albania in search of a better life and a brighter future, as is the case with many immigrants.  First, he simply crosses over into Greece, where he meets Eudoxia, a Greek-American young woman who is living with extended family for a year and trying to figure out her path.  When she returns to the United States, he follows her, and the two strike up a fledgling little romance that is doomed from the start thanks to the intolerance of Eudoxia's mother and the lack of stability that comes with being an undocumented alien in a strange new place.  Rejep finds some limited understanding among the other immigrants, who simultaneously seek a sense of community while also closing the ranks against anyone who is different from them.  There isn't a lot of action in this novel, but that's okay.  What it lacks in excitement, it makes up for in its poignant exploration of the immigrant experience.  I do wish there'd been more about Albania since, after all, that's the whole reason I picked up the book in the first place.

A lesson learned from this selection is that in the future, I will hold out for the book I really want to read, either by being patient and continuing to search until I'm happy with my choice or by breaking open the piggy bank and purchasing the book I feel excited about.  There are a couple of different things at play here.

One is that, as I've mentioned previously, I believe that my books choose me rather than the other way around.  Once I finish one novel, I have to sit with it for at least a day before moving onto the next one, partly to let the story wash over me and partly, I think, to see what book is going to come up next.  I don't like to read two books in a row that are too similar or by the same author (which means it takes me longer than the average bear to get through the current trend of trilogies in YA literature.)  During the gap between books, I will scan my bookshelf at home, see what my friends are reading on Goodreads, take a peek at the Kindle daily deals and in the Kindle store.  If I happen to be out and about, I may pop into Barnes and Noble to see what looks interesting.  And I review my TBR (to be read) list to see what jumps out at me.  Most of the time, I'm drawn to a specific book or at least to a specific genre.  On the occasions I've not listened to that inner book voice, I'm usually unfocused in my reading and often give up before I've gotten very far in the story.  Anyone else have this experience, or have I completely lost my mind?

The other thing going on with me is that I'm trying mightily to embrace a more minimalist lifestyle, and one element of that involves reducing the amount of stuff I own or otherwise bring into my home that has to be dealt with in some way.  These days, being a minimalist can mean a wide range of things from whittling your possessions down to only 100 items or simply exerting effort to declutter, purge, and stop buying things you don't really need.  Getting down to 100 items, or anywhere near that number, is: a) unrealistic; b) unappealing; c) unnecessary; and d) not gonna happen.  I like my big house ... I just don't want it to be filled with junk I don't need.  I like reading on my Kindle ... but I also like real books on my shelves and occasionally, in my hands.  That said, my minimalist leanings have caused me to be more thoughtful about what I spend money on and what I decide is worthy of bringing into my personal space.  In the past, my motto about book buying was "See it ... want it ... buy it."  But I'm trying to be more judicious by frequenting the public library, borrowing from friends, looking for sales, and using the "try a sample" feature on my Kindle.  I haven't really settled into a new normal with this initiative and at the moment, I'm finding it all to be mainly an irritant that is interfering with my enjoyment of the whole book experience.  Which is why, when I couldn't find the Ismail Kadare book I had in mind, I resisted purchasing it and borrowed Uncertain Journey from the library instead.  No disrespect intended to James Rouman, but next time, I'm going to buy the book I really want.  Some of life's pleasures are just worth cluttering up the house.

Other Books Considered for Albania

• Broken April, by Ismail Kadare (fiction)
• The Successor, by Ismail Kadare (fiction)
• The Fall of the Stone City, by Ismail Kadare (fiction)
• Agamemnon’s Daughter, by Ismail Kadare (fiction – short stories)
• The Silencer, by Paul Alkazraji (thriller)
• The Accursed Mountains, by Robert Carver (memoir)
• Albania’s Mountain Queen, by Marcus Tanner (biography)
• The Unexpected Mrs. Pillifax, by Dorothy Gilman (mystery)

NEXT UP ... ALGERIA.  Let me know if you have any suggestions!