At the beginning of the series "Yemen: Exporting Democracy", I liked how David Finkel uses foreshadowing to tell the reader what to expect in the following pages. He opens with, "On the first day, which would turn out to be the best day, the one day of all 180 days when everything actually seemed possible, the president of Yemen hadn't yet dismissively referred to an American named Robin Madrid as an old woman." Using words like "had yet" kept me engaged, although so did the content of the pieces. Finkel puts this very convoluted topic of exporting democracy into words that anybody without a background in foreign policy (me) and knowledge of the U.S.'s history with Arab nations (me again) can understand. I thought he did this well by weaving in Madrid consistently throughout. She was, of course, a major player in bringing democracy to Yemen, but the times she emerged acted like reference points, always bringing me back to the real issue. The way he sometimes posed questions to the reader also helped. Then he introduces a cast of important characters from President Bush, to the sheiks, to President Ali Abdullah Saleh; this part reminded me of something that would come out of a Quentin Tarantino film.
He recounts some of Yemen's history and what the city physically looks like today through profiling Madrid. I felt like he was describing the current situation there from her perspective, like when he quotes her saying, "I cried. I mean, it was magical," and then, "First there's this horrible city, then there's this beautiful city, then I almost get sho
t." He presents the conflict through her eyes, while simultaneously telling us about her life, her routine, her expectations versus the reality, and commenting on the culture.
I really enjoyed this piece and the ease with which I could read most parts. The consistent dialogue helped, and the outlining of individual characters broke it down for me.
The lede really caught my attention too. Sometimes I don't love excessive foreshadowing, but since I had no knowledge of the events of the story it really drew me in. I also think it prepared me for a disappointing end. Jon Franklin advised against writing stories that end badly, but I think this is the way to do them.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about his use of Madrid in this way, but you make an interesting point. A lot of the city is seen through her eyes and I think that helped me to see it. She probably has more experience abroad than most of us, but I felt as if she was still seeing the city from a perspective similar to what mine would be. I also liked her presence as a thread of consistency, but one that Finkel abandoned when she didn't need to be a focal point of the story.
I think you and Maggie bring up and interesting point about the city being explore through Madrid's eyes. I, too, loved how Finkel cleverly inserts vivid description into more complex sentences, whether it's details about a city or Madrid herself. The one you, Emily, pointed out definitely illustrates this tactic. Another place we can observe it is in Finkel's personal descriptions of Madrid. He sneaks in the fact that she's a grandmother, for example, or that she has had multiple husbands amid sentences that suggest larger, political themes.
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