Florence of Arabia - Christopher Buckley

   2004; 274 pages.  New Author? : No.  Genre : Political Satire; Intrigue; Humor.  Overall Rating : 7½*/10.

    Florence Farfarletti is a low-level functionary in the US State Department in Washington DC.  Her job is humdrum, but she does get to meet foreign dignitaries every so often, or to be more precise in Florence’s case, the wives of foreign dignitaries.

    One such acquaintance is Nazdah al-Bawad.  She’s the wife of Prince Bawad, who is presently serving as Ambassdor to America from the Arab state of Wasabia.  Technically Nazdah is a princess, but in reality she’s just Wife #3 in the prince’s harem.

    Florence and Nazdah’s relationship is casual.  They’ve met for lunch a couple times, and have gone shopping a couple times, but that’s about it.  So it is quite the surprise when Florence answers the phone late one night and hears these words:

    “Flor-ents.  You must help me – I need asylum!  Now, please!”

    Asylum is a word that sends shudders down the rubber spines of State Department workers.  And for Florence, Nazdah’s plea is the first step down a path that will embroil her in a plot to kick-start a Women’s Rights Movement in the Middle East.

    Florence is going to gain some formidable enemies out of all this.

What’s To Like...

    Florence of Arabia is Christopher Buckley’s thinly-disguised critique of Islamic theocracies that embrace Sharia law.  His two imaginary countries are called Matar and Wasabia, which bear an unmistakable resemblance, both theologically and name-wise, to Qatar and Saudi Arabia.  The Wasabia-Saudi Arabia tie-in may seem less than obvious, until you realize that the dominant Saudi-based religious sect are called the Wahhabis, and Buckley’s Wasabis are their virtual clones.  Like their real-life counterparts, the Wasabis follow the ultra-conservative Sharia doctrine.  And while the Mataris are somewhat more liberal and secular, they too ascribe in part to Sharia Law.  The satire aspect aside, I found the religious contrast between the two groups to be fascinating.

    The settings are limited.  Florence starts out in the State Department in Washington DC, and then travels to the Middle East to Matar.  There, she starts up a television station called TVMatar, featuring programming that easily reaches across to Wasabia and ruffles some powerful feathers.

    The writing is superb.  This is my third Christopher Buckley book (the others are reviewed here and here), and I’ve been blown away by his literary skills every time.  There are a fair amount of characters to follow, but it isn’t difficult.  Of the Westerners, the only ones to keep track of are Florence’s “team” of Bobby, George, Rick Renard, and the mysterious “Uncle Sam”.  Of the Arabs, all you really need to remember is which ones hail from Matar, and which ones are from Wasabia.

    There’s some cussing, which seemed suitable for this storyline.  Buckley sprinkles some French phrases in amongst the text, and I always like that.  But he also treats us to some Arabic words, which was an unexpected delight.   The book has 38 chapters covering 274 pages, so you’re never too far from a good place to stop reading for the night.

    The main theme seems to be Buckley’s ideas about how one might go about “liberating” the women who have the misfortune to live under Sharia Law.  Buckley acknowledges that not all of them may want to be emancipated and I got the impression that he admits that the odds of effecting this fundamental change are rather slim.

    The ending was so-so.  It wasn’t very twisty and you'll easily guess the means employed to rescue  Florence from her situation.  Nevertheless, it is an adequate resolution of the tale.  Be sure to read the Epilogue, though.  It has kind of a “whatever happened to” structure, and Florence (and the reader) finally discover who Uncle Sam is.  Florence of Arabia is a standalone novel.  I don't think Christopher Buckley has ever written a series.

Kewlest New Word  ...

Lysystrata (proper noun., but used here as an adjective.) : the title character in an ancient Greek play by Aristophanes.  She persuades the women of Athens and Sparta (who are at war with each other) to refuse sexual contact with their husbands until the two cities make peace..

Others : Patronymic (adj.); Surcease (n.).

Excerpts...

    Alas, this doomed Wasabia to becoming – as one historian put it – the Middle East’s preeminent “no-fun zone.”  Unless, as he dryly noted, “one’s idea of fun includes beheading, amputation, flogging, blinding and having your tongue cut out for offenses that in other religions would earn you a lecture from the rabbi, five Hail Marys from a priest and, for Episcopalians, a plastic pink flamingo on your front lawn.”  A Google search using the key phrases “Wasabia” and “La Dolce Vita” results in no matches.  (loc. 893)

   One moment he was scowling in the direction of the youths being beaten by the muks; in the next there was a very loud noise coming from directly beneath him, and he became aware of being propelled upward into the fierce morning sky at a rate similar to that experienced by astronauts launched into space, escaping – how does the poem go? – the surly bonds of earth.  His ascent became dreamlike, understandable since at this point he had lost actual consciousness.  He found himself happily swinging from star to star, like a delighted young child.  Alas, this innocent, carefree state of mind did not last, and as Maliq regained consciousness, he was still a hundred feet or so up in the air and – alas again – earthbound at a rate commensurate with the implacable laws of gravity.  (loc. 4160)

Kindle Details...

    Florence of Arabia sells for $10.99 at Amazon, but I borrowed it from my local library.  Christopher Buckley has about 9 novels available in e-book format at Amazon, all in the $9.99-$13.99 price range.

 “(A)ncient Matari proverb: Dung beetles cannot crawl into shut mouths.”  (loc. 3930)

    I had some issues with Florence of Arabia, mostly with the degree of stereotyping used in the story.  Every male Arab from Wasabia is a thug, every male Arab from Matar is a hypocrite, and every Frenchman is a dirty double-dealer.  Every Arab woman that we meet seems to yearn to be free, usually with dire consequences.

    Conversely, every American on Florence’s team has a specialty that works to perfection as she carries out her strategic plan.  And every Arab that tries to match wits with our heroes is pretty much an idiot doomed to failure.

    I recognize that the hyperbolic stereotyping contributes to the wit and humor of the storyline.  But when everyone in a demographic thinks exactly the same way, the plot tension suffers.  The author seems to think substituting “mutter” for “matter” and “moolah” for “mullah” is exceptionally witty; he repeats these two plays on words to excess.

    All these annoyances would normally be show-stoppers, but I am happy to say that Buckley’s writing and storytelling skills were sufficient to offset them.  Florence of Arabia kept my interest, and it felt good to read another Christopher Buckley book, after a 6½-year hiatus.

    7½ Stars.  I don’t claim to be an expert on Human Rights issues in the Arab Middle East, particularly those involving the rights of women.  I am aware that in Saudi Arabia, women are still forbidden to drive cars, and that floggings and stonings are still meted out unto those miscreants unfortunate enough to get caught at adultery, etc.

    So it’s not that I think Christopher Buckley is making up the abuses that he inserts into Florence of Arabia.  But neither do I every last Arab is a religious extremist or a moral hypocrite.  The violations of civil rights are there, but I don't think they occur with the frequency he implies.