With all the hype surrounding Ali Al Saeed’s third offering “Moments”, I decided to take an in-depth look into the magical world of “Moments”. Having interviewed Ali prior to the launch of “Moments”, I was rather intrigued by his alluring persona. A subtle, almost hypnotic appeal that makes you want to get into his head and pick his brain. So obviously, I could not wait to get my hands on his book, which I did and promptly devoured. The first thing that struck me about Moments was the clever way in which the different stories were grouped under 5 segments, each with an eloquent verse in the prelude.
The book is essentially sliced and categorized into moments … … In Which We Live (or more aptly lug ourselves through the drudgery of life!) “The day draws its sword as the sun Puts on her bright dress made of light The beginning is no more important Than the end The middle is what makes the two” This is undoubtedly my most favorite quote in the entire book. So profound and explicit, these five lines sum up the entirety of life. The diversity of this anthology can be catalogued in the various themes embodied, ranging from the torment of bullying in ‘Bow’, to longing for the one that got away in ‘Empty Spaces’. ‘Goodbye Humanity’ on the other hand tells the story of an Arab man struggling to survive in the Western world in the midst of terrorist attacks.
That incident has ruined my life, and the life of many others like me. A weak link hinges between us and the perpetrators of that heinous act.Those extremists, damn those extremists! How can a human being act in such a way? They are not human. They can’t be...” Poignant thoughts that probably coursed through so many heads in the wake of 9/11 and 7/7. ‘Bitter 6teen’ mourns the untimely loss of innocence, while the title tale ‘Moments’ reeks with rhetoric embodying the notion of traversing through life merely existing rather than living. “…
Do you feel alive today? I don’t. I don’t feel things around me. It’s like I’ve died long ago, but I continue to breathe…” laments the character. … In Which We Grow (or are forced to grow, with each superior awareness) “What makes us what we are Is all we could have What makes us what we could be Is all that we once had” Headlined with this ironic verse, the titles grouped here include ‘A Touch of Gloss’ and ‘Lemonade & Snowflakes’ both of which tell tales of the enduring hope only held on to by the young, and their ultimate triumph. ‘Washed in Green’ with its splash of comedy is a welcome breath of fresh air, while ‘Uncle Monkey & the Tree of My Life’ and ‘Framing Amy’ both deal with death, though in entirely different contexts. “…I am not angry, just confused, devastated.
Perhaps I even feel a little abandoned, by the one thing I took for granted … You see, my closest uncle, Bob, has died … He shot himself...” … In Which We Dream (or merely envision an alter reality) Opening with the dreamy narrative ‘Fallen Gods’, Ali transports us into the mystical realm of his dreams. The despair, the angst, and the futility of each character effectively reaches through, crossing the invisible sphere from reality to fantasy and allowing for apt empathy. A fantasy plagued with devils and deities, each trying desperately to find their place in the great scheme of things..
I realized how fragile these Gods had always been. They only existed because humans thought they needed them. They were not real …” … In Which We Love (or lose momentary control of our faculties) Here Ali dives head first into the much-explored theme of love and relationships. With grave attention to detail, Ali navigates the reader through the series of emotions experienced by each character. These emotions in-turn transcend the crisp pages as we accompany Ali on this tumultuous voyage. From first love in ‘Hearts Dancing’ to unspoken love in ‘The Last Beat of a Broken Heart’ and finally forbidden love in ‘Beautiful Whispers’, an invisible map is drawn that charts the unfamiliar territory of the human heart.
We held on to each other, and right there on the street as life continued around us we swayed gently to unheard music. Our hearts were doing the moves; we only had to follow…” … In Which There Are Odd Bits (or profound phenomena) This last segment contains three very random and abstract, yet immensely profound parables. ‘Create/Destroy’ is a short poignant verse pertinently summed up in the title. ‘Where Was Woody Guthrie’ is an ode to the prolific American folk musician Woody Guthrie, resonating with Guthrie’s repugnance for fascism and economic exploitation. ‘43’ to me is symbolic of the fickleness of human beings and the infinitesimal contradictions of life.
While reading this compilation, it dawned on me that Ali has been quite suggestive in his entire arrangement of this orchestra, cleverly chronicling the sequence of events so as to gently lead readers by the hand through this phantasmal journey. Starting from moments in which we discover the purpose of life, to growing in the knowledge of this purpose, to dreaming of the possibility of sharing this knowledge with a significant other, to finding that significant other and building a future and finally to zoom towards the future occasionally stumbling upon odd bits of comprehension along the way. Having said that, “Moments” is as charming as it is whimsical, deftly toeing the line of the mystical realm.
Each story in this anthology is brilliantly written and ingeniously catalogued without any definitive ending, prompting readers to ponder the possibility of myriad varied conclusions. With a wizardly flick of his wand, Ali uses abstract narration to effectively express subjective experiences, brilliantly managing to put a different spin on mundane activities with such poise as to be voraciously read. Personally, ‘Moments’ is testimony to my belief that life is quintessentially just one long, drawn-out conversation inside your head, occasionally interrupted. Reading Moments is akin to embarking on a passage into the proverbial unknown, with Ali in the driver’s seat. So buckle up and prepare yourself for one heck of a ride!