I paid $330 for a copy of this book in 1999 and never regretted it, not even when i loaned it to never receive it again. I went on and bought this copy so that i could read it again in 2002, and i am not a rich person (sometimes dumb, but not rich.)
It is a depressing book because of the atmosphere and the feeling that all the characters are at the end of their times, yet full of the wonder of the days of humanity and the desire to live.
History and tragedy and comedy are all intermingled with two old socialite ladies who were originally maids, living on a houseboat and mummies whose dust pervade the dusky atmosphere. People who are wise beyond their status and foolish because of theirs roll in or sneak in, have their say and disappear to sometimes appear in other guises and other vices.
Whittemore grips you, pleases you, makes you both a participant and a ruthless observer, but never a judge or a jury.
You do not take sides when faced with a flood of water or emotion. You accept it for what it is, but always soak youself in it because it is there.
This is not an easy book to read. The terrific style (one must also give credit to Judy Karasik, the editor) is for the reader who enjoys good literature more than the reader who boasts of his speed-reading ability. The characters would be better appreciated by people who have traveled and met and observed other people and other cultures and other locations even if only in books, as long as they have tried to see from their perspective.
Ahmed, the poet manager/receptionist (no blood relation to me), sums it up in the book "Life is a merciless and mysterious arrangement of logic for a futile purpose". Whittemore uses up all three adjectives to excellent effect in Nile Shadows in regard to people, their actions and world events: merciless, mysterious and futile.
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