The Mismatched Braid by Weam Namou. Hermiz Publishing (244 pgs.) $13.95

The author of The Feminine Art returns with her sophomore effort, The Mismatched Braid. Like Weam Namou's first novel, this novel also deals with a Chaldean Christian Iraqi expatriate.

Amel Aboona is an Iraqi from the Christian minority who left the country after the first Gulf War, escaping to Athens, Greece where he lives illegally. Amel is a serious, hard-working young man of twenty. He is also a bit of a sad sack. Amel feels rootless and alone in a strange country despite being surrounded by family and friends. He has no direction in his life and feels thwarted in his attempts to enter the United States. Amel's life changes dramatically when his American cousin, Dunia comes to Greece. Despite being his first cousin and a total mismatch, Amel falls madly in love with Dunia. The plot largely concerns itself with Amel's futile quest to win Dunia's heart. And we know the relationship is doomed -- Amel is far too traditional and Dunia is far too American. They want different things and are on different paths.

I liked this novel -- perhaps even more than Namou's first. It's written with good deal more control and confidence. Amel is a real flesh and bone character and Dunia is as memorable as any female character in literature. Thematically, it ties-in well with Namou's first novel. If I have one nit to pick with Ms. Namou it's that I think she's capable of more ambitious writing than this. The Mismatched Braid is a simple story that demands very little of the reader's time and attention and, while it delivers what it promises, it left me wanting a little more.

-- reviewed by JCE