Review by: Samantha M. Siciliano
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Quick Summary:
The Egyptian is a historical fiction piece following the life of an Egyptian doctor, Sinuhe. It spans Sinuhe’s life over the course of 5 Pharaohs during the 18th century. There is plenty of political intrigue, inequality, friendships, culture, sadness, and harsh realities to mess with every emotion you have. The secondary characters are amazing at adding to the story and intertwining with Sinuhe in very interesting ways.
The Review:
Having taught ancient history to 7th graders for 5 years, I knew quite a bit about what I was reading. The wonders of the Nile, the lives of different classes of people within Egypt, and agriculture. However, as I tell my students there is always more to learn! I learned about many customs of Egyptians and surrounding lands, researched on medicinal practices of Egypt during the time (damn were they smart!), was constantly looking up information to see if it was true (yes there was a tradition in Mesopotamia called the Day of the False King). I loved reading about the different cultures that Sinuhe and Kaptah met throughout the book.
I enjoyed how Sinuhe wrote his story. It was simple, but also very informative (and very well researched by Waltari). Written from his home in exile, he starts his story with the beginning of his life… or what he knows of it. I had a glimpse into his childhood. Choosing a career at such a young age must be so difficult! I told my 8th graders when they were picking classes to not worry about what they wanted to be, but to focus on what you like learning because that is how you find the career you will want! Sinuhe was much younger than my 8th graders when he had to make his career choice! I followed him through his education, into young adulthood as a new physician, travelling the world he knew of and making plenty of friends while enjoying new cultures, returning home as an older man, becoming physician to the Pharoah, entertaining his life as a doctor, and ending his book by describing his exile. It was well written, with plenty of adventure, mishaps, mistakes, growth (although slow sometimes), friendships, and losses.
Sinuhe did a great job using the five senses to describe his experiences. I was able to smell the fish being cooked in the poor quarter (reminded me of my mom’s fish), I felt the connection he felt to the Nile (I grew up on a lake and there is nothing like it), the descriptions of the landscape and the world through his eyes were gorgeous and sad, I could hear the side conversations of people near him and his home, I could taste the honey cakes, the wine, the beer, the Crocodile Tail. Everything was so descriptive and enveloped me as I read.
My favorite male secondary character was Kaptah, the slave of Sinuhe. I loved their relationship. Starting out as master and slave to growing into a full-blown friendship of love was awesome. Kaptah may not have been book smart, but DAMN was he street smart! He not only was surviving but thriving when he was able to grow Sinuhe’s income and be a free man. I need a friend like Kaptah to manage my money and make me wealthy! Seriously though, Kaptah is a lovable guy. I enjoyed reading his ramblings about how Sinuhe wasn’t doing something right or he didn’t have a wise idea and Kaptah had to set him straight. He reminded me of an octopus because he was able to somehow weasel his way into survival, whether that be by promising people what they desire or cutting and abandoning ship (like losing a limb and regenerating it). My favorite Kaptah scene was the Day of the False King. I could not stop laughing when he was king for the day and the King of Babylon had to do his bidding!
My favorite female secondary character was Merit, the life partner of Sinuhe. I saw a lot of strength in her and she brought out the best in Sinuhe. I liked that she was an independent woman running a bar (called the Crocodile’s Tail- love that name) and made the tavern different from other taverns. I think my favorite memory of her was when she went with Sinuhe to Akhetaton with Thoth. It was cute to see them acting like a family and seeing that Merit and Sinuhe didn’t feel lonesome for a while. A common theme throughout the book is how Sinuhe is alone throughout his life, so I did enjoy the happiness that they brought each other. Another scene that was beautiful was when Sinuhe was treating many patients, and Merit joined in, helping Sinuhe in any possible way. I just pictured this going so smoothly and like they were dancing in sync with each other to heal as many people as they could.
“As I sat there in my garden, I spoke with my heart and said ‘Be still, foolish heart; the fault is not yours. All is madness; good and evil have no meaning; greed alone, with hatred and desire, rule the world. The fault is not yours, Sinuhe, for man is man and will never change… The only good man is a dead man.’” I understand that life is in no way easy or perfect, but it was difficult to read of the tragedies and injustices. I know that as a species we have become better on paper, but there are still these negative beliefs, actions, and stereotypes that float around in our societies. Many of the societies in this book viewed women as less than men. There was rape, murder, lying, selfishness, people trying to gain the upper hand on each other, racism, classism, and war. As my therapist says, life is mostly negative, finding the positive every single day is harder, unless you are delusional. There are many more negative emotions than there are positive ones! So yes, this book was hard to read sometimes, because it made me uncomfortable, angry, and frustrated. However, at the same time, these injustices are happening every single day, right now. I do like to believe we are better, but unfortunately, the news still highlights these issues today.
I cannot relay enough how well written and researched this book is. I will give it a solid 4.8/5. I will definitely be reading this one again!
IN CONCLUSION, READ THE FRACKING BOOK!
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