Behind all our human progress—inventions, technological advances, comforts, and medical breakthroughs—that have made our lives better, longer, and more pleasant are stories of toil, struggle, and hard work. But even when we are in the middle of all these advancements, we realise that we are facing challenges of unprecedented magnitude. We are arming ourselves with deadlier weapons, researching and producing dangerous viruses artificially, eroding and destroying natural resources and the flora and fauna, oppressing the downtrodden, and generally making mistakes that can threaten our own existence on earth.
What if there is a different branch of humans who seperated themselves from us in a distant past, who refused to participate in the rat race and single-mindedly strived to achieve a utopia, made unimaginable strides in technological innovation, and even challenged the notion of death? What if they are observing our lacklustre and unfocused efforts to get ourselves out of the ditch, like a modern man observing a hunter-gatherer tribe? How would we react if they decided to interfere in our lives? Will we trust them to help us ascend, or will we be threatened by their superiority? Will we deify them as our saviours, or will we demonise them for their interference?
In his novel On the Isle of Antioch, the French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf depicts a situation in which a technologically advanced set of humans decide to interfere in our affairs and our varied responses to it. This is speculative fiction, with undertones of existential philosophy. The story has the potential to make its reader contemplate our own past and our interferences with each other and with nature in a critical manner. The novel was originally written in French, and its upcoming English edition is translated by Natasha Lehrer. I received an advance copy of the book by the publisher, World Editions, through netgalley.com in exchange for my honest feedback.
Alec Zander, a cartoonist who leads a lonely life on the barren island of Antioch, wakes up one morning to find his power and all communication with the outside world cut off. When he realises that this is a worldwide phenomenon, he fears the worst—the nuclear standoff between the US government and a rebel group has been ended by one of them. He decides to contact his lone neighbour, Ève, a disillusioned, alcoholic writer who has written a cult novel and couldn't repeat the feat once again. Once the connection is reset, his friend in White House reveals to him the contact from an advanced human race that was separated from the main stream centuries before and has decided to support humanity. The novel further explores the ramifications of this information and how different people react to a better class of humans deciding to interfere.
The novel is narrated in the form of daily notebook entries written by the protagonist as the situation evolves. Narrated in the first person, this format gives a very personal feel to the plot. It also builds the suspense and tension of the plot, as readers are on the same page as the protagonist. We are as clueless about the situation as he is and are only privy to any information that he has. This helped to build a rapport with the character and feel the ambivalence of the plot with more intensity. It also helped that the protagonist is a largely impartial person who hears everyone with equal importance and decides to just chronicle the events instead of passing a judgement. He is wavered by emotions, temptations, and different narratives, but largely we find someone who is inquisitive enough to see things without an agenda clouding his intellect.
The novel works as a philosophical reflection on our past, present, and future as a human race. It makes us aware of our past, which built an empire through trial and error and by spending blood and sacrifice. But the past has led to the present, which makes us rely on an egoistic leadership that never thinks of us as a whole and a community that is ready to follow like sheep when someone offers a quick fix solution. As individuals, each of us has an eventual certainty of the future, but as a collective, we are anxious and unsure of it. The novel indicates a trail that may eventually lead us to a better place than our presence—a trail that's marked by increased empathy and cooperation between us.
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