Effendi: The First Second by Jon Courtney Grimwood

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Effendi: The First Second by Jon Courtney Grimwood
pub: Earthlight. 376 page hardback. Price: Ł12.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-7432-0285-6.

In this sequel to ‘Pashazade’, the alternative history where the Kaiser wins the First World War, which allows the decadent Ottoman Empire to survive past its sell-by-date, is less crucial to the plot.

American interference in the Middle East is still there, and so are the bloody politics of regional struggle that can consume a nation's potential.

A disemboweled young woman is found on the private beach of Hamzah Effendi, a wealthy magnate with virtually unlimited influence. Ashraf Bey, his prospective son-in-law - failed - has found himself by dint of birthright in the position of chief of police.

After several more deaths, one of which he was responsible for, he finds himself governor of El Iskandyria.

Pivotal to the plot is the massacre of innocents - rootless conscripted children fighting the vicious adult battles born of petty reasons. The main catalyst is the secretive Colonel Abad.

Who he actually turns out to be is a stroke of invention that could have been absurd in a less fraught context. The fourteen-year-old Avatar who pursues him is almost as remarkable as the nine-year-old Hani, easily the equal of Miss Marble, who uses her precocious computer skills to investigate the Colonel's whereabouts.

If it were not for the clinically described visceral splatter, which can be disconcerting at times, there is almost an element of Agatha Christie here.

As the story builds, the episodes in italics begin to take on meaning. At his best, Grimwood is a consummate weaver of plot. When not at his best, his lucidity can lapse into obfuscation, especially when special knowledge is required to understand some of the terms he uses.

At the beginning, ‘Effendi’ is over-egged with a near impenetrable display of the author's knowledge that could be off-putting for the casual reader. Only when this scene setting is out of the way are we allowed to know what is going on. A shame.

His sure touch with characters, from mildly engaging to thoroughly unpleasant, is still there. I wonder what the author might achieve with a more sympathetic cast? Like designer crud, ‘the angry young man’ syndrome of the 90's will ultimately have to run its course.

It probably only came around again because of the changes in the way society perceives itself. Because the dashing Romeo is no longer fashionable, perhaps it is inevitable that a blonde, emotionally mixed-up young man, with a chip in his head as opposed to on his shoulder, might take his place.

Whatever its faults, like sometimes engaging syntax too baffling for requirements, ‘Effendi’ is a compelling read with the clever use of smoke screens. Some readers, like myself, prefer a little more help. However masterful the description and grasp of context, they can also be overwhelming though, once underway, the narrative becomes more fluid.

There is one thing I seriously insist on quibbling about. This is the substitution of "sat" for "sitting" and occasionally "stood" for "standing". In a narrative that is generally accomplished, this tendency can pull the reader up sharp. It is something I would have thought a proficient proof-reader (do they still exist?) would have weeded out.

‘Effendi’ is a dynamic read, in many respects better than ‘Pashazade’. Even with my reservations, I would highly recommend it, especially to those who are following the trilogy.

Jane Palmer

check out websites: www.earthlight.co.uk and www.j-cg.co.uk

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