The Warm Wind of Palestine.

The Warm Wind of Palestine.

Scott Crye

Athena Press

Queen's House, 2 Holly Rd., Twickenham TW1 4EG, United Kingdom

ISBN: 193207757X US $14.95; UK 10.99 254 pages

It is said that familiarity breeds contempt. With this in mind I hesitantly picked up my father's first novel, The Warm Wind of Palestine, expecting to know who he based each character on, see through the nuances in the plot, and ultimately know the ending by the first couple of pages.

Happily, I was wrong.

Mr. Crye has written a heart-warming tale of true friendship. His characters are faced with situations that test the limits of their courage, and their trust in each other and themselves.

Dr. Jenna Haabeb is a Palestinian doctor living in middle-America. She lost her family in an accidental bombing on the West Bank, and to forget about the tragedy, she plunged herself into her work, becoming a highly respected researcher in her field. Being an ethnic Palestinian in a post 9/11 America she is forced to deal with prejudice, hostility, and piercing curiosity. She is also strikingly beautiful, and reminded me of a more innocent version of Hemingway's Lady Ashley in The Sun Also Rises in that there is not a male character in the book that finds her unattractive. However, unlike the licentious Lady Ashley, Dr. Haabeb is more disposed to sipping her tea alone than dominating her would be lovers and painting the town red.

Other characters include: Jack Larsen, who wants to be a father figure to Jenna, but struggles because his own tenderness makes him feel weak; Steven, the bumbling police officer who is attracted to Jenna but his advances are stalled by his own prejudice and chauvinism; and Catherine, the all-American mom who will do anything for anybody.

Mr. Crye takes these characters on a number of adventures: parties and picnics, a trip to Paris, and a tragic accident. Through their discussions and reactions to what befalls them The Warm Wind of Palestine serves as a vivid picture of the world today. Mr. Crye lightly takes on cultural prejudice, women's issues, and Mid-Eastern violence, never preaching, he seems to know exactly what to say to leave you thinking about the major issues of our times. Sometimes the jabs are so subtle you almost miss them, for instance there is a joke made about gambling at Bill Bennett's expense, but only the careful reader will catch it.

The story is slow at first, but it is almost as if you have to slow yourself down to get into the rhythm of the narrator's life. The simple prose is easy to read and engaging, though at times one wonders whether anyone could really be so easy going.

I began reading this book with the assumption that I would dislike it, but its simple style, subtle humor, and heart-warming story won me over. Let it win you over too.