Effendi: The First Second by Jon Courtney Grimwood
01/05/2002 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Earthlight. 376 page hardback. Price: £12.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-7432-0285-6. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. 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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