IN THE
KINGDOM OF MEN by Kim Barnes
One of my friends lived in an ARAMCO compound during the
1960’s. The life depicted in THE KINGDOM OF MEN is much as she
described it. Gin is running from a constricted life with a fundamentalist grandfather
and finds herself living in the even more constricted fundamentalist Saudi
kingdom. Even though she and her husband are living in luxurious surroundings,
life for Gin is boring and racist for her husband.
By befriending both her driver and her houseboy Gin is in
violation of both ARAMCO and Kingdom
policies. Mason in attempting to live the ideals of Martin Luther King also violates
policy and then uncovers greed and corruption.
Both find themselves in fear for their lives and those of their friends.
Although the ending is unsatisfying, the novel as a whole is worthwhile.
An interesting story with characters you like (and dislike)
teaches a fair amount of history of the Kingdom and oil. Book groups will discuss fundamentalist
religions, ethnic differences, the position of women in society, dealing with
boredom, whistle blowers and company corruption, Americans in foreign
societies, interactions between men and women and the price of gas.
No comments:
Post a Comment