The Last Night of a Damned Soul: A Novel

By Slimane Benaïssa

Chapter 1 (noon prayer)
The story opens with the main character, Raouf, on his way to celebrate the Muslim feast of the Sacrifice Eid-al Adha with a fellow computer designer named Athmane. An only child, Raouf was raised by immigrant parents (Egyptian father and Lebanese mother) well-educated scientists, to become an American. Stunned by the recent and sudden death of his father, Raouf experiences a deep void in his existence. Living with his Protestant girlfriend, Jenny, in a loving and stable relationship, Raouf nevertheless finds himself inexplicably drawn to the allure of Athmane and his deep connection to a Muslim fundamentalist community. Despite his Arabic and Muslim origins, Raouf had known only the secular world of contemporary American life. A Palestinian by birth, Athmane introduces Raouf to the Koran, to Muslim beliefs, and ultimately to the decision to repent and to "surrender" himself to Islam.

Chapter 2 (afternoon prayer)
Raouf follows the lead of Athmane, and decides to devote himself to reading and studying Islam. Through the connections of the Kuwaiti prince Djamel, Raouf moves to a studio apartment and continues to discover the depths of his Muslim roots in preparation for his formal and public repentance at the Hamza mosque. His mother encounters problems with her health, that she downplays to her son.

Chapter 3 (evening prayer)
Athmane prepares Raouf to enter into a new phase of devotion, one which justifies "action" in the name of God. This stage of isolation convinces Raouf that he must leave Jenny and their dog (which is proscribed by Islam) definitively. As he prepares for the most intensive and restricted part of his training, he must also figure out how to explain a lengthy absence to his mother.

Chapter 4 (midnight prayer)
Raouf submits to a rigorous period of prayer and preparation for jihad and ultimate death. He loses himself in the highly structured regimen of the indoctrination process, in the cult of the Islamic martyr. He and his fellow conspirators concentrate on their precision training for the "action." At the chapter's end, he is on his way to the airport to meet his fellow martyr conspirators at the rendez-vous point.

Chapter 5 (dawn prayer)
This chapter begins as a letter written by Raouf to Athmane in what is essentially an explanation of his joy at being ready to pursue to the death the "action" in God's name. In a sudden shift, the narrator Raouf announces that he mailed the letter but that he is not on the plane. What follows is a description of the moments leading up to his last-minute decision not to board the plane. The chapter continues with Raouf 's thoughts on suicide and Islam, and ends in prison. After days of intense interrogation, Jenny arrives to deliver a letter from Raouf's hospitalized mother. It was written after she saw his face on television as the terrorist who didn't board the plane. Written on her deathbed and "last night," Raouf's mother explores her own relationship to Islam and to the Arab-Muslim world in contrast to that of her son. The novel ends with the mother's final words to her son.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802117805
• ISBN13: 9780802117809
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 3.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Twisting Religous Convictions to Glorify Death/Martyrdom

This book is frightening in its ability to present how a rather normal individual of a Muslim background, born and educated in the USA, could become susceptible and vulnerable to the "culture of death" as taught by Islamic extremists. The book was originaly written in French and is a translation into English. It is a deep and complex book fraught with personal anguish and emotional tension ... Raouf is the only son of an Egyptian father and Lebanese mother, both highy educated and successful American immigrants of Muslim background. He examines the purpose of his life related to his religious awakening within the framework of the most painful experience of his life, the death of his father. The emotional turmoil of this young computer engineer is the prelude to his gradual transformation into an Islamic extremist. He does at times have reservations, questions, and conflicts which are examined and analyzed through the dark cloud of his personal tragedy ... when life experiences, that is reality contradicts the teachings... his source of inspiration is a Muslim friend whose answer to most problems is to quote the Koran, a Hadith, or some portion of a sermon by a Mullah which consistently ties any conflict into a "submisson to G-d" response, most of which is associated with tolerating pain and realizing the Here and Now is unimportant and the Hereafter is what matters the most, when one attains the rewards of suffering in this life as promised for those who follow the teachings of Islam. The manipulation of this vulnerable man ... to accept a role to which he succombed is worth reading. It is a true education to see how religion is used for political ends by an extremist group. The most important literary device or feature of this book is the use of quotations from the Koran and Hadiths which can make it a difficult reading experience . However, the reader will more fully appreciate the complex nature of the subject matter and *how* this literary device is effective when finished reading the book. In the end, most readers will view the recitation of different verses and suras as a device to create a hypnotic effect on the vulnerable Raouf, it can be viewed as the call to awakening of the young man. In this case, it has the same effect as the call to prayer five times a day when facing Mecca. This book would definitely have a stronger appeal if it were made into a film. Most readers will need to be patient ... to understand the beauty of the writing which reveals the genuine talents of this author. This book is a monumental literary achievement toward understanding the complex and difficult world in which we live. Erika Borsos (erikab93)