Jane's Reviews > The Truth of the Aleke

I thought since this book takes place 500 years after the first book set in the Forever Desert, it wouldn’t be a big deal if I read it first. Now I wish I had read The Lies of the Ajungo first. This entry is what the story from the first book becomes after 500 years of retelling.

The Truth of the Aleke is a stylized fable, repeating certain phrases like one does when telling a fairy tale. I found some of the writing quite entrancing, but the story itself is as simple in the telling as a fairy tale. He did this, this happened; he did this, this happened.

I’m not sure what the moral of this fable is. The main character (view spoiler)[is betrayed by people he trusts, then he betrays them. (hide spoiler)] The author acknowledges this book’s connection to what happened on 9/11. “It was a cruel and chaotic time when the dichotomy of allies and enemies, of good and evil, ceased to make sense.” I guess that’s as good a way to describe The Truth of the Aleke as any. It’s depressing and puzzling. I keep puzzling over what it means, which I suppose is a victory for the author.

I’m not sure whether I will go back and read the The Lies of the Ajungo, or if I will read the third book. The Forever Desert is not a happy place to spend time.

I read an advance reader copy of The Truth of the Aleke.