A Poet of the Invisible World

November 9, 2015
Golding (Simple Prayers) traces the spiritual journey of Nouri Ahmad Mohammad ibn Mahsoud al-Morad, born with two sets of ears, from early life as an orphan raised by Sufi dervishes in Persia to the far corners of the medieval Islamic world. Nouri's mother tries to protect her infant son from superstitious villagers by bringing him to a nearby city, where she dies and he falls into the arms of Habib, a humble caretaker at a Sufi lodge. Habib, whose hand was crushed by an elephant in a childhood accident, tries at first to keep Nouri's presence secret, bathing him in a soup pot and feeding him stolen goat's milk. Once the baby is discovered, the brothers welcome him into their communityâall except mean-spirited Sharoud, Nouri's lifelong nemesis. Nouri has to contend with Sharoud's resentment and an extra pair of ears, and he struggles with his attraction to other boys. After the boy he likes best is killed in a marauders' attack, Nouri begins his wanderings, during which he becomes a tea boy to the Right Hand at the Sultan's palace, a shepherd on the Spanish countryside, a laundry laborer, a poet, a drug addict, and a lost soul eventually taking refuge at yet another Sufi retreat. Golding creates an Arabian Nights atmosphere infused with compassion for human weakness and diversity, and appreciation for the wonder and temporality of all things. He depicts darkly realistic and luminously magical moments through evocative imagery, captivating storytelling, and gentle insight into one flawed aspirant's search for identity, enlightenment, and acceptance.

Starred review from July 1, 2016

To get her four-eared infant to safety, Nouri Ahmad Mohammad ibn Mahsoud al-Morad's mother gave first her body, then her life. In 13th-century Persia, a child so different would require divine intervention to survive, and Nouri literally falls into the arms of a gentle, crippled man who takes him to the Sufi lodge where he finds his first home. For the first seven years, Nouri is lovingly raised by Sufi brothers. For the next seven years, he is adoringly educated by the resident Sufi master. Before Nouri reaches maturity, the brotherhood is decimated by marauders, and he is set adrift--physically, emotionally, and spiritually--with stopovers as a sultan's tea boy, a shepherd's helper, an opium-addicted launderer, a mountaintop ascetic, and a poet, until he can no longer silence his soul. Kirby Heyborne embodies Nouri's aching, searching journey with wonder and discovery, never allowing for maudlin self-pity. His deliberate recitation underscores the gravity of the protagonist's transformation. VERDICT An ideal addition to literary fiction collections. ["This mesmerizing novel is a gift to anyone looking for a transcendent reading experience": LJ 8/16 starred review of the Picador hc.]--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

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