In a region that has faced more than its fair share of turmoil and violence, there are as many emotional scars as physical—and as people rebuild, those scars can remain for years to come. Retribution is often the reaction many people feel to right the wrongs of the past, but as Mahatma Gandhi is said to have proclaimed, “An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.” As one pursues the path of vengeance, the evil that they sought to destroy can consume them, regardless of how altruistic their original intentions might have been.
This story is set following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the country’s population experienced a rollercoaster ride of instability. In Baghdad, suicide bombings and terrorist attacks became a regular occurrence in the power vacuum left after the fall of the regime, creating a surge of sectarian tensions and insurgent activity. It is reported that the first twelve months following the U.S. invasion experienced 78 terrorist attacks, which dramatically increased to 302 in the following year. By 2007, terrorist attacks claimed the lives of 5,425 civilians and caused 9,878 injuries.
The novel centers on a junk dealer and alcoholic named Hadi that likes to tell tall tales and scavenge the streets of Baghdad—not only for parts of valuables, but also parts of people who were victims of suicide bomb attacks. His goal was to sew these parts together so they could have a proper burial to find peace in the afterlife and be recognized for the people they belonged to, instead of just debris in another terrorist attack. Hadi soon realizes that his macabre project takes on a life of its own when the piecemeal body, which he calls the “Whatsitsname,” goes missing, leading to reports of murders by a mysterious creature.
The reanimated corpse turns out to be possessed by the soul of a young hotel security guard who died attempting to stop a suicide car explosion. After failing to find anything left of his body, the young man is eventually absorbed into Hadi’s creation and reborn with a new sense of purpose: revenge on those who destroyed not only his life, but also the lives of all innocents and victims of senseless violence. “Whatsitsname” describes his mission as the answer to the calls of the poor and “the answer to a call to the end of injustice and for revenge on the guilty.” But as he harvests new spare body parts, his motives begin to change, leading him to compromise his sense of morality and make questionable decisions. While his power begins to grow, it creates an ideological movement that deviates from the original mission he inspired.
The author builds a world that reflects the life and realities of living in Baghdad, showing how the people try to cope with the ever-growing challenges of neglected buildings, the loss of business, corrupt government officials, and the surge in terrorism. Many in the society are haunted by the loss of loved ones; Hadi grows more bitter and deeper in his alcoholism after the loss of his young assistant, who was like a son to him. This is also shown in the elderly Christian Elishva, who prays and grieves every day for her son, who has been missing for a long time and is suspected to be dead. Other dimensions delve into the corruption that drives distrust of the government as Mahmoud, a reporter, finds himself drawn into the murky world of bureaucracy through his close ties to his magazine’s editor and the growing pressure from those in charge to identify the creature.
The author touches on themes through philosophical and literal dimensions, structured in subplots that comment on the cycle of violence, subjective views on innocence and guilt, faith and ideology, and the U.S. invasion from the eyes of Iraqis. The author, Ahmed Saadawi, offers perspective on the book’s religious elements, borrowing from Islamic and Christian traditions in the idea of a savior and how, in the Arab world, it can be hard to separate religious and political aims. After the book’s release, it gained many accolades and praises, including winning the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, France’s Grand Prize for Fantasy, and The Kitschies’ Golden Tentacle Award for Best Debut.
Discussion Questions:
- How does the author use the blending of the physical and metaphysical worlds to tell this story in the backdrop of historical events?
- How does the evolution of the cult movement surrounding “Whatsitsname” mirror the evolution of political and religious ideologies beyond their original goals and missions?
- In what way does “Whatsitsname” shifting choice of targets symbolize the nature of vengeance?