First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Over seven decades, from 1940 to 2010, the pied-noirs Cassars live in an itinerant state – separated in the chaos of World War II, running from a complicated colonial homeland, and, after Algerian independence, without a homeland at all. This Strange Eventful History, told with historical sweep, is above all a family story: of patriarch Gaston and his wife Lucienne, whose myth of perfect love sustains them and stifles their children; of François and Denise, devoted siblings connected by their family’s strangeness; of François’s union with Barbara, a woman so culturally different they can barely comprehend one another; of Chloe, the result of that union, who believes that telling these buried stories will bring them all peace.

Inspired in part by long-ago stories from her own family’s history, Claire Messud animates her characters’ rich interior lives amid the social and political upheaval of the recent past. As profoundly intimate as it is expansive, This Strange Eventful History is a “tour de force. . . one of those rare novels that a reader doesn’t read but lives through with the characters” (Yiyun Li).

Yay! It is Friday again! Happy Friday everyone! I know everyone is looking forward to Friday because it signals the end of another work week. Friday is surely everyone’s favorite day of the week although today is Friday the Thirteenth. To some, it sounds ominous. I just hope everyone is doing well. I hope that everyone ended the work week on a high note. I hope you were able to accomplish all the tasks you set to complete at the start of the week. And since it is Friday, it means that we are about to enter the weekend. Yes. It is party time; today is also payday Friday! It is time to dress down and unwind. I hope everyone is diving into the weekend free from anxieties. I hope that the weekend will provide a reprieve for everyone. I hope the weekend will allow you to pursue your hobbies or things you are passionate about.

To cap another blogging week is a fresh First Impression Friday update. This bookish update which I first took part in 2019 has become fundamental in my weekly book blogging routine. First, it allows me to slow down and figure out my initial feelings about the book I am reading. In my rush, I might have missed some details. Further, this weekly update serves as my springboard for my book reviews. Anyway, reading-wise, September – woah, we’re nearly midway through the month! – has been an extension of my foray into recently published books; I commenced this journey in August. I started my September journey with Kristin Hannah’s The Women. Just when I thought I ran out of books to read, my recently purchased books arrived. I just finished reading Hisham Matar’s My Friends earlier today after which I immediately immersed myself in Claire Messud’s This Strange Eventful History.

Both My Friends and This Strange Eventful History are part of my 2024 Top 10 Books I Look Forward To List, making them the sixth and seventh books I read from the list. Interestingly, I had never encountered either Matar or Messud until early this year when I was searching for the most anticipated 2024 books. They both piqued my interest, hence, their inclusion to my own list. My curiosity about these books increased tenfold after they were announced as among the thirteen books longlisted for this year’s Booker’s Prize; after Percival Everett’s James, they are the second and third books from the longlist I read. But what I find interesting about the books is the geographical proximity of the authors’ provenance. Matar has Libyan heritage while Messud has Algerian heritage. They also grew up in the United States.

I guess the mention of Messud’s provenance is critical in understanding her latest novel; This Strange Eventful History is her ninth novel. Her latest work was inspired by her family’s history and transports the readers to French Algeria; it wasn’t that long ago when Algeria was still a French stronghold. The novel, however, begins in Salonica (now Thessaloniki), Greece. The year was 1940 and the Nazis sweep into France. Gaston Cassar hears General de Gaulle make his broadcast calling on free French to join him and carry on the fight. Gaston is a naval attaché to the French embassy in Salonica. To ensure his family’s safety amidst the brewing war, he made the wise decision of sending his wife, Lucienne, and children to their native Algeria. Or was it really a wise decision?

When Lucienne and her children, François and Denise, arrived in Algeria, they found themselves unwanted by relatives. They were also treated with lukewarm response by anyone in the dusty village where they settled. This was a shocking response from a country they have also considered to be their own home. I guess it is worth mentioning that the Cassars were white who considered Algeria their home while, at the same time, claiming French citizenship. Anyway, this was captured in the book’s First Part. The Second Part moves further in time. The year was 1953 and the readers are transported to Amherst, Massachusetts. I am still trying to find my footing in the story. The characters are barely making an impression on me.

From the synopsis alone, I can surmise that it is a family saga that examines a plethora of subjects, foremost being the colonial history of Algeria. The story spans several decades which will include Algeria’s struggle for independence. Since I am still in 1953, I know that I still have a long way to go in the story. I expect a lot of events will test the mettle of the Cassars. I surmise that Messud will slowly unfurl the landscape of the Cassar’s story. I just want to bide my time and be patient. I want to relish the story because I do like the writing. While the characters are ciphers – for now – I find the writing both descriptive and accessible. It is the book’s strongest element so far. In the process of reading the book, I am gaining some insights about Algeria’s contemporary history.

Multi-generational family sagas linked to historical events becoming prevalent in the ambit of world literature. Not that I am complaining. I am looking forward to how the novel will unfold. Hopefully, there is a twist down the road. How about you fellow reader? What book or books have you read over the weekend? I hope you get to enjoy whatever you are reading right now. Happy weekend!