ALIF THE UNSEEN

The combination of computer hacking and Arabian mysticism makes for a multidimensional listening experience. Sanjiv Jhaveri presents Alif’s despair and wonder when his ex-girlfriend gives him a dangerous ancient text in order to keep it out of her fiancé’s reach. Listeners will find the depiction of life in a fictitious emirate during the Arab Spring to be a gritty foil to stories of hidden worlds replete with djinn and ifrits. Jhaveri narrates a winding story clearly and presents computer terminology as plainly as its complexity permits. He demonstrates a command of the Indian and Arabic accents that are part of this polyglot society. During the narrative passages, Jhaveri’s stiff reading does not precisely capture the story’s magical flavor. But he recovers well during dialogue, and the final battle scenes pick up in pace and liveliness. C.A. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2012]