Tower of Dreams: A Novel

By Kathryn K. Abdul-Baki

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0894108174
• ISBN13: 9780894108174
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Three Continents Pr
• Length: 216 Pages
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.5" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Real Kuwait

Real Kuwait Kathryn Abdul-Baki uses childhood memories as well as ingenuity to bring readers into the psyche of two immigrant girls growing up in Kuwait in Tower of Dreams. She also includes fragments of stories from Fields of Fig and Olive, one of her earlier works. The novel is set in the 1950s and 1960s when Kuwait is in the middle of an oil boom. Through her characters, narrative style, and imagery, Kathryn Abdul-Baki portrays real life in Kuwait. In a recent trip to MWC, Kathryn Abdul-Baki revealed many things about herself and solved some mysteries of her novel. Coming from the Middle East, Kathryn Abdul-Baki possesses an authentic insight on desert life. She incorporates many real life experiences into her novel through her main characters, Isabel and Laila. Like the two girls, Abdul-Baki emigrated to Kuwait and was raised there in the 1950s and 1960s. Abdul-Baki reveals great similarity between Isabel and herself. Both were born with Middle Eastern fathers and American mothers. Isabel's looks resemble Abdul-Baki's, having red hair, pale skin, and green cat eyes. Abdul-Baki also states that, like Isabel, she often rode horses with her father across the desert and encountered a tower of dreams like the one in her novel. The storybook tower of dreams becomes reality when Abdul-Baki reveals it really existed. After connecting her life to the stories, the characters and their experiences seem more realistic. Kathryn Abdul-Baki unmasks the hardships and joys of life in Kuwait through her characters. Both Isabel and Laila, though from opposite family situations, feel the effects of being outsiders in Kuwait. Isabel's appearance stands out among the Middle Eastern students, leaving her vulnerable to mockery from her classmates. Isabel grows up normal compared to Laila. Laila comes from a lower-class family and struggles with both brothers' deaths and her mother's prostitution. Both girls face the austerity of Muslim culture, where women struggle for existence. Abdul-Baki reveals the defined sexual roles in Kuwait through the stories of her characters. Despite these hardships, the two girls find joy in play and romance. Abdul-Baki does a great job in portraying real life in Kuwait through young girls' eyes, since she too grew up in Kuwait. Kathryn Abdul-Baki's unique narrative style sets her apart from other authors. She captures her reader's attention by switching between two narrators, Isabel and Laila, throughout the entire novel. Abdul-Baki also flashes back from present to past time, allowing readers to wonder where the story is leading. Though her writing techniques makes Tower of Dreams more interesting to read, the combination of switching characters narrators and flashbacks provokes confusion to readers. It also disturbs the smooth flow of the paper by causing readers to constantly recall previous events. Kathryn Abdul-Baki uses vivid imagery to color her pages and to a