Sinful Words by Hesene Mete

Sinful Words by Hesene Mete
Buy Sinful Words by Hesene Mete at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Literary Fiction
Reviewer: Sue Magee
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Pages: 160	Date: June 2017
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: 978-1524682521
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When we meet him, Behram is a student at the school of theology. He loves God with a passion and has a determination to live a life dedicated to God and to live by His rules. He rents a property from Lulu Khan and his wife, Lady Geshtina and Khan invites Behram to his own home for a visit. It's a delightful place and the wealth of the couple is obvious as is their standing within the local community: Lady Geshtina's late father is buried in what amounts to a mausoleum, but it's not all this which enchants Behram. The couple have twin children and Behram is taken, enthralled by the daughter, Nagina.

He's taken to the extent that he steps outside his own personal belief system and places himself so that he can spy on Nagina without being seen to do so. What follows will change his life and challenge all that he has come to believe. We'll see the truth of sin as well as the sin of truth and Behram will come to value Satan as much as he loves God and to hate God as much as he hates Satan.

Hesenê Metê is a prominent Kurdish prose writer and novelist who has lived in Sweden since the nineteen eighties. This is the first time I've read any of his work, but after having to work a little to get into the story of Behram I found it difficult to put it down. I was perhaps misled by the book's blurb, which describes Behram as 'mysterious': whilst we might not know specific details about him, it's not long before we know the essence of the man. In thrall to Nagina, he's ready to blame her for seducing him and sees himself as following her. He's naive, inexperienced and frightened by the temptation he feels, but not quite prepared to resist it. I think we know all we need to know about him.

Metê handles what follows superbly: he's an author you can trust, so don't feel nervous about putting yourself in his hands. Read what he says: allow yourself to enjoy the lyrical descriptions, to feel Behram's confusion and uncertainty. Enjoy the cultural and religious references and don't be tempted to skip the footnotes: they're gold dust and demonstrate Metê's wide-ranging knowledge and appreciation of an area he no longer inhabits. If you do this you'll enjoy a wonderful, thought-provoking story which had me smiling broadly at the unexpectedness of what was happening at one point.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

If this book appeals then you might also enjoy Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Sinful Words by Hesene Mete at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Sinful Words by Hesene Mete at Amazon.com.

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