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Book Review Homeland Security and fear of those who may wish us harm, it's troubling and thought-provoking to read about a young man who intends no harm, but who cannot seem to win through the peace. Ariz is a young (24 years old) Algerian who has stowed away on a tanker making its slow way to Boston harbor. ("Harbor" is a powerful metaphor for the whole story.) Frozen, starving, injured, he literally "jumps ship" and ends up on the street in Boston. He speaks no English, does not have a green card, or even a change of clothes. Helped by strangers, he finds his way to a vaguely remembered cousin, also an illegal immigrant, but not the innocent soul that Aziz is. Through a complicated process he comes to a hospital and care for his injuries. From that somewhat promising beginning, he finds himself confused and desperate as he lives with an assortment of strange people in the apartment with the cousin Rafik. Not only does he suspect that Rafik is a criminal, but he is also deeply disturbed by his memories of his time in the Algerian army, from which he escaped after horrible experiences. Then his brother Mourad wins a green card and joins them in America. Life and the plot become more intricate and suspenseful. These very illegal immigrants are sympathetic characters, and the reader finds herself on their side when the FBI begins to close in, believing that this is a terrorist cell. Lorraine Adams is a prize-winning journalist. This, her first novel, reflects her acquaintance with contemporary events and knowledge of the "ways of the world."
Harbor is moving and gripping. A gift of the Friends of the Library, available at the Mary Willis Library.
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