God in Pink

Arsenal Pulp Press

God in Pink
Hasan Namir
2016

The Summary
"A revelatory novel about being queer and Muslim, set in war-torn Iraq in 2003.  Ramy is a closeted university student whose parents have died, and who lives under the close scrutiny of his strict brother and sister-in-law.  They exert pressure on him to find a wife, leaving him anguished and struggling to find a balance between his sexuality, religion, and culture.  Desperate for counsel, he seeks the advice of Ammar, a sheikh at a local mosque, whose tolerance is challenged by the contradictions between Ramy's dilemma and the teachings of the Qur'an, leading him to question his own belief system.

"Alternating between quiet moments of beauty and raw depictions of violence, God in Pink poignantly captures the anguish and the fortitude of gay Muslims in Iraq."

The Good
God in Pink is an intriguing novel.  It's a powerful book full of tragedy, but similar moments of beauty.  It strikes a chord, I think, because it depicts a time of turmoil that I never saw or never remembered--and it isn't afraid to broach the subject of sexuality.  It takes on the hard subjects, it shows readers the violence that homosexuals faced in Iraq in 2003 and beyond.

It's one of those books that serves to kick you in the chest and leave you reeling.

The Bad
I did not like the ending of God in Pink.  I can't say I quite understood Ammar's change of heart, perhaps because I did not see the signs or, more notably, I did not understand the character from the very beginning; moreover, I was very disappointed with the fate of Ramy.  It kind of broke my heart that he couldn't be himself, that he couldn't fall in love with who he wanted--that he wasn't free to be who he wanted to be.

It broke my heart.

I understand why the story ended as it did, even if I didn't quite understand what happened to Ammar--what changed him in the first place that his true colors showed in the final chapters.  I understand why Ramy had to keep his feelings under wraps, but I wasn't pleased with it.  God in Pink is meant to make you think, to feel something powerful; however, it's also a tragic story with, in my opinion, a disappointing ending.

The Ugly
I struggled with this novel, because I was not comfortable with all the depictions of heinous violence and wanton savagery.  I understand that mindless cruelty, thoughtless barbarity is simply a fact; I understand that it happens, that it's not something you can ignore if you live on the planet Earth.  I know it exists, but it's still hard to read about terrible things happening to other people.

I didn't hate this novel, but I hated the cruelty and gratuitous violence.  It made me physically sick and, even though I was only a few pages from finishing, I had to put the book aside for a couple of days just to recuperate.

This is a magnificent book depicting life in war-torn Iraq for a gay Muslim man.  It's poignant and it's guaranteed to make an impact, but, at the same time, it will tear out your heart.  I recommend reading it with great caution, like I would for books like Native Son by Richard White, Beloved by Toni Morrison, or The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

Read it, but be prepared for acute emotional turmoil.