So, anyone of you watched Aladdin already? I've watched it online but haven't gotten to finish it. From what I've seen so far, it's good. Why am I asking about the movie? Well, the title of the book for this review is saying about a magic carpet which automatically makes me think of Aladdin right away. But this book does not speak of magic or genies or flying carpets but rather the land where all those are from - the Middle East. The land of rich with oil, desert and sandstorm and for people from third-world countries, a land of opportunities.
Ricky, a Filipino, the main character in this story represents a lot of Filipinos who left their homeland in search of greener pastures and better opportunities. For Ricky, that's Hong Kong and then Kuwait. In this story, Ricky, represents the better lot of Filipinos who made it big and became successful in their career abroad. He's successful in his career which landed him a chance to work in Kuwait. His sister though isn't very fortunate. Like all other educated and college graduate Filipinos, his sister ended up as a domestic helper in Hong Kong. Much worse, she was mal-treated by her boss.

The story centered around Ricky's inability to see things beyond what they are. I feel sorry for him because he can't seem to see if people are telling him the truth or not. Or maybe, he hasn't just grown mature enough to see how he's easily manipulated, especially when it comes to the women in his life. In fairness to him, he exactly knew what he needs to do but I think he lacks the conviction to actually do it. That's the biggest flaw in his character.

Ricky and Breeze' relationship, right from the onset, is obviously doomed to fail. Ricky had no idea that he was actually targeted by Breeze because she thought with his position in the company, he could easily be the ticket who could take Breeze and her family out of poverty. Breeze manipulated him and took advantage of his feelings for her. When he seemed to be not useful anymore, she dropped him quicker than a hot dimsum.

I especially hated Breeze and the people she represents. Yes, poverty allows us to do things out of necessity and desperation but there should be limits. Breeze' obsession with escaping her poor life just knows no bounds. She'll do just anything, even cheat, lie and do much worse if it means she could wear expensive clothes and material things. The sky is the limit and nothing could stop her from getting what she wants. Oblivious Ricky was no match for her.

What I liked about the story is how Ricky came to realize his losses after Breeze dropped him. He realized what Breeze was after all along and he also realized his worth, what he can do and the things he needed to do which he should have done before. The story ended with a very happy note, with Ricky and her elder sister from Hong Kong reunited in the Philippines. They can work on the dreams they used to talk about as kids and finally have the lives that they deserve, not dependent on another person who he thought could add meaning to his life but by leaning on and repaying back the love that had helped him become successful in his career. Dreaming of an Arabian Carpet reminds us of the most important things in life. Love, family and friends. Sometimes we try to look for love else where, only to find it in our simple beginnings. In the care and dedication of our siblings and family and the time to return the same love, nurturing and comfort they've given to us when they badly need it. And this is true enough for Ricky. All the success in the world, the large salary he's getting and all the rich people he comes in contact with could never silence the one thing his heart has kept telling him to do. It was time to man up and be the man in the family. Finally! Good job, Ricky.

I give this book 4/5 flying carpets. How the author explained why the story was called Dreaming of an Arabian Carpet is probably the best part of the story. The insights into the Muslim and Arab culture is also very educational. I was so disappointed in Ricky's character the whole part of the story and I even wonder how he'd be able to redeem himself. I could easily overlook his failed relationship with Breeze. He was just too trusting and he refuses to see what's been nagging him subconsciously. But his sister is a another story altogether. He knows he needs to do something for his sister, Eunice and he knows it's absolutely within his power but he just simply put it off. The breakup with Breeze was actually the best thing that happened to him because it opened up his eyes to the most important things. Family.

I was actually thinking of using lychees but I really hated Breeze' character so I don't want to use the lychee as an allusion to her though the story about the Lychee Park is a good story.

One thing I also noticed and I also read it in one other review, is that the story was lacking a little humor. The story was a bit too serious and a little light touch would have made it a lot better. I enjoyed it but a sprinkle of little fun and sunny parts would have made it more. Probably, a little less sad because the part about the flying carpet need not only be the one happy thing about the whole story altogether.

One character in the story who I really like is Walid. He's Ricky's friend who is rumored to be a bastard son of a Kuwaiti royal. I like his honesty. He has no qualms about stating the bullshit and admitting to his faults and the faults of his people. Here are one of the things he said:


That's what's wrong with us. Our wealth is a curse. It prevents us from doing anything for ourselves.

Truth is never what you know. It is how you know. Real truth is a journey. It transcends the fizz of details that come and go along the way.
- Igor Martek, Dreaming of an Arabian Carpet -

Thanks, Igor Martek and Netgally, for the review copy. I was very curious to know if you were a Filipino. I actually had to Google it. Thanks for being able to find the life of Ricky a good subject for a book. I know Ricky represents a lot more than just being a Filipino working in the Middle East but thanks for giving a life to his story and sharing it with the rest of the world. More power to you and I hope that you write more stories such as this that captures real-life and its struggles.

I haven't read too many stories that took place in the Middle East, so this one was interesting to read just for that cultural read. Some of the story itself I could have done without. Sorry, Ricky was ok, but his girlfriend, Breeze, left a whole lot to be desired-Yuck! Still, the parts about Kuwait, Syria, Libya, and Egypt were interesting peeks. The writing leaves a bit to be desired, better editing, I think. Needs work.

Readers looking for a breezy contemporary young/new adult romance read about the radial impact of globalization on societies and individuals in non-Anglo-centric regions of the world will find it in Dreaming on an Arabian Carpet by Igor Martek.

The cover image may lead readers to believe that a woman is the main character when this story is about and told from a young man’s point of view. Ricky is unmoored. He drifts between countries, jobs, women, modes of transportation, his present and his past circumstances, and ancient and modern environments. This stranger in a strange land is a Filipino protagonist in the Middle East.

Ricky’s extreme self-involvement doesn’t make him particularly likable, but he’s familiar as he passively seeks to infuse significant meaning into his life. His observations during his search reveal interesting details about a hierarchy of privilege as arranged and viewed through the lens of Middle Eastern, non-Christian-dominant context. Although a focus on “white skin” and “porcelain limbs” in descriptors for desirable female characters remains consistent with Anglo-centric mainstream fiction norms, the women don’t seem fully formed. Ricky’s multiple references to how the women make him feel real while his life often feels like a dream suggest that this sense of being insubstantial was the author’s intention.

Issues about division of labor, labor compensation, fair wages, and the leverage that bureaucracies exert against individuals feel universal. Conventional attitudes of male gender entitlement are unchallenged.

In many ways, Dreaming on an Arabian Carpet is a mainstream contemporary young/new adult romance about a young man who moves through life as the center of his own personal universe with the women in his life as satellites that drift in and out of his orbit.

There’s a graphic-novel sensibility to the prose that moves from scene to scene as if flipping panels. It’s reinforced by the six (charcoal? pen and ink?) illustrations scattered throughout the text.

Practicalities:
The educated, employed young women in Ricky’s life feel archaic in their attitudes and ambitions. That factor dropped it from a 3-star to a 2-star read for me. Also, the story is clearly set in the 21st century, but it seems to occur in a time before Qaddafi’s death and Assad’s gassing of his own people in Syria. Including the year along with the country at the beginning of each section would have contributed more clarity since those events significantly impacted travel, among many other things, in the region.

There’s minor f-word usage (occurring with more frequency in the last quarter of the story) during a few casual conversations, arguments, and the sex scenes, which are clinically explicit without being pornographic.

Dreaming on an Arabian Carpet touches upon a variety of profound subjects without lingering to delve deeper in the manner of a cursory browse of a subject rather than a dissertation about it. That sums up how Ricky moves through life.