Traces of a Tattoo

Traces of a Tattoo A critical reading Traces of a Tattoo is one of the most beautiful Arab novels I have read in recent years. It acquainted me with this surprising solitary writer, jeweller and skilled craftsman who proved both creative and entertaining. But this novel is not simply about achieving the challenging balance between creativity and entertainment. It carries several layers that need to be studied carefully if the reader is to avoid being carried away by its deceptive simplicity and easy reading as well as by its exquisite text. The theme of Traces of a Tattoo is knitted over the open, double-wound of two lovers who were separated each believing to have been let down by the other. They are: Hisham, the Palestinian young man who, still suffering from the separation, immigrated to Britain, and Alia, the beautiful Damascene young girl who had to accept a marriage proposal from a man she did not love. Reunited by coincidence in London twenty four years later, their old love story is re-examined but with a new dimension of a tender and fresh version of their love story developing between Wissam, Hisham's son, and Aroub, Alia's daughter. With this simple theme serving as background, the novelist tackles extremely complex topics: past versus present, East versus West, old versus young, man versus woman, love versus jealousy, sex versus marriage, etc. In the reunion scene, the dramatic opening of the novel is unveiled when Hisham discovers that a certain woman whose handbag has been snatched by a dangerous pickpocket is none other than his old sweetheart, Alia. Henceforth, the novel's dialogue starts to take multiple meanings and go into deeper levels. Alia thinks Hisham abandoned her when they were young lovers. Hisham, on the other hand, thinks the opposite was true, and he is therefore confused and bewildered. Traces of a Tattoo is built on several layers of dialogue that takes different forms and meanings. In the course of the novel various elements are debated, most importantly the relationship between man and woman, one of the main mover of events. Other debated concepts include: science versus creativity, order versus chaos, mind versus passion, progress versus backwardness, etc. All these are dealt with in the framework of the relationship between Aroub and Wissam. Aroub is rather rash and passionate but full of creative ideas that interact with the technical abilities of Wissam. At one of its levels, Traces of a Tattoo is a study of various types of change. The first is the change of ideas. What makes people change? How do they change? Are they changed by circumstances? Are they changed by the people themselves when they decide they want to change their lives and circumstances? Another topic discussed is that of fate and destiny; order and chaos and the ways by which they are written and sealed, or otherwise. Fearful her love for Wissam may not have the happy ending she desired, Aroub concludes: "Random is not chaos. It is just another system far more complex than any other. If it wasn't a system, why is she with a young man she never met in her life? Could it all be coincidences? What made the mugger pick her mum and not one of thousands of women with handbags who swarm Knightsbridge every day? Hisham was there at the very moment fate struck hard. Was it also a coincidence? No room was available at all hotels. Was that a coincidence too? Random is not chaos, nor is coincidence. They are natural systems, like any other. Was she guided to Wissam? Why? What is she to do now? What is he to do now? Could it be fate? What is fate? Would Wissam have begun to like her had she not forced him to like her? He too, indeed, he too. Aroub shook her head. Fate is made, not given. It is a door opened by time for a while and closed again. Fate doesn't go in with the fated to give a grand tour of the place inside. It doesn't provide maps for the roads ahead; it doesn't give tips on how to approach certain things and avoid others. It just opens the door for the chosen ones; that's all. It is up to them to decide what to do next. If she wants Wissam, she has to go through that door. If she doesn't, she can sit on her bed and wait for it to close." One of the novel's dramatic lines is a series of questions related to differences between western and eastern cultures and attitudes, and change that impacts immigrants in their new homes. However, the reader has to dig deep in the text to find these differences which he will find often encapsulated in subtleties and backgrounds. Likewise, the reader is guided with `tips' to crack open secrets that the author is so frugal in illuminating. The sudden emergence of Al-Hoor is probably the most intriguing. I'll leave it to the reader to find out where it came from and why it disappears as suddenly as it appears. Adel Bishtawi's linguistic formula adds something new to the Arabic novel. The novel's language is a very beautiful adaptation of classic Arabic. It offers the reader an element of entertainment. It sometimes uses exotic vocabulary but the writer helps the reader understand and enjoy those virgin and fresh words in a beautiful way. The novel emphasises dialogue but the narrative element is not superfluous. It is extremely vital and intrinsic. As to the novel's artistic imagery, it is very successful. Examples: `Alia left the smile on her lips but coloured it in yellow and said...' (P 51) `Aroub opened over Wissam an umbrella of scorn full of bright colours.' (P 56) `His hands reached into his brains where he lodged over time a repository of masks to use in formal meetings. He pulled out one and put it on so that she would not see what was inside his mind.' (P 86). Adel Bishtawi's Traces of a Tattoo is a perfect example of the Arabic novel's ability to explore new depths in the human soul. It also, and this is something which this reading unfortunately did not attempt to study, presents the first contribution in a long series of Arab novels that investigated the 'self' and the 'other,' without the self or the other being subject to the conditions of dispossession or sexual contest which is marked by intolerance and hysteria. In conclusion, Traces of a Tattoo will be a major landmark in modern Arabic literature and will consecrate its writer as one of the most important contemporary Arab novelists. Based on a published review by Hussam uddin- Mohamed