Harbor

by Lorraine Adams

A powerful first novel that engages the tumultuous events of at once an intimate portrait of a group of young Arab Muslims living in the United States, and the story of one man’s journey into–and out of–violence.
We first meet Aziz Arkoun as a 24-year-old stowaway–frozen, hungry, his perceptions jammed by a language he can’t understand or speak. After 52 days in the hold of a tanker from Algeria, he jumps into the icy waters of Boston harbor and swims to shore. Seemingly rescued from isolation by Algerians he knew as a child, he instead finds himself in a world of disillusionment, duplicity, and stolen identities, living a raw comedy of daily survival not unlike what he fled back home. 

As the story of Aziz and his friends unfolds–moving from the hardscrabble neighborhoods of East Boston and Brooklyn to a North African army camp– Harbor makes vivid the ambiguities of these men’s past and present burying a murdered girl in the Sahara; reading medieval Persian poetry on a bus, passing for Mexican; shoplifting Versace for clubbing, succumbing to sex in a public library; impersonating a double agent. But when Aziz begins to suspect that he and his friends are under surveillance, all assumptions–his and ours–dissolve in an urgent, mesmerizing complexity.

And as Harbor races to its explosive conclusion, it compels us to question the questions it Who are the
terrorists? Can we recognize them? How do they live?

A debut novel as evocative as it is convincing–a groundbreaking work that announces a fearless new voice in American fiction.
 

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Literature, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jess Sturman-Coombs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tricky one because you can't read a book like this and not expect it to be gritty and uncomfortable and perhaps even quite shocking or disturbing. Harbor is all of these things. I really liked the plot and the pace and I connected with the characters and got a real feel for the painful, dangerous and arduous journeys they were making.

There are many characters in this book and an insight into many different lives and reasons and I felt this was done very well by the author. I did really enjoy (if you can call reading about someone's suffering and plight enjoyable)this book and it really was an experience and an insight into the lives of those people seeking refuge and asylum. This was an engaging read and one that had me hooked.

I did struggle with one particular scene and chapter that really threw me and made me feel extremely uncomfortable, to the point I had to keep forcing the graphic images from my mind for days to come. What made those images even worse was knowing that the author, a journalist, had probably based theses events on real life atrocities against innocent women and children. I can't begin to imagine living my life in fear of this level of violence. I would have been naive not to expect death and torture, I was expecting it, but in honesty I did feel some impacted on me to the point I feared reading on and knowing more. Actually the remainder wasn't quite so graphic or gruesome.

The story is told very well, I love the style of writing and I'm really glad I found it.

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit rough around the edges, but I also think it was the point of it. The author does offer some great insights regarding middle-eastern and north African cultures.

[Michelle Luksh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adams definitely delivered a suspenseful novel involving the loved, and somewhat feared, 24-year-old Aziz who makes his way illegally to America by means of hiding in the bunker of an Algerian ship. Set in Boston, we are able to recount Aziz's treacherous and unforgiving journey as he undergoes trying to find a semblance of normalcy in his jarring new life in America.

The story is intense, woeful, parts nihilistic, but rounded out by the dichotomy of his compassion, grief, empathy, unsureness, and wanting so badly to make a home in his home away from home. As I began discovering him questioning if it all was worth it, I found in my heart a longing to help Aziz, maybe even hug him and let him know that everything would be alright. And then I was hit with the calamities of his past, the wrongdoings he inflicted willfully, and am left wondering how I was so blinded by his character.

The back and forth of each character and their story arch is astounding. "Harbor" is swift moving and leaves me hungry for more knowledge into this unknown world. For me it was a tale of suspense, a history lesson, a blip from the best of The Guardian, and a shy awareness of how lost I am regarding current events.

I praise Lorraine Adams's knack of storytelling and admire her international and journalism background for helping her create a brilliant piece of fiction based all too much on factious details.

[Alida]

Nerve-wracking! Wanted to like it, but didn't, and quit mid-way into the book. I was drawn in by early chapters but then just kept waiting, waiting for shoe to drop.

[Georganne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author raises the question: "Who is a terrorist?" What makes this book so good is that there is no easy answer. Fascinating read.

[Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style of this book grabbed me right away. I thought it was quite beautifully and well written. I really enjoyed the writing style, and the way it flowed. I believe this book is written with a sort of tenderness as well as poignancy. I do not feel like the author is judging the characters in the book, but nor do I feel as if she is being overly sentimental about them either. She does show them as humans, with flaws, she addresses the goodness and the badness in them. There is a sort of naked truth in her portrayal. She exposes them I think with understanding, though not necessarily with absolution.

Though one draw back I had to the writing, and I am not sure if it was meant to be intuitional or not was that at times it could be very disorienting. The book focuses on Aziz an Algerian who enters America by stowing away on a tanker. He ends up living with his cousin Rafik, and the one thing Aziz knows about Rafik is that he is a lier. Thus Aziz fins himself in a strange new land living among people he does not know he can trust. Through much of the book, I feel the reader is driven to be just as confused as Aziz often is. There is a certain vagueness in the writing in which sometimes it is hard to clearly understand what is happening.

The other thing I noticed was that the time frame at times seemed somewhat ambiguous. There where aspects of the book, that gave it a very 1980s or 1990s feel, but then more current events, and modern inventions would be mentioned that suggested the book was meant to be taking place in the present, but if it where not for the mention of those specific references, the book did not have the "feel" of the 21st century.

One the hand it is an easy book to read on account of whole well it flows, and how compelling the story and characters are. On the other hand it is not a book that can be read "casually." It requires close concentration, because it can become easy to overlook small details that are crucially important.

I did enjoy the tesne, taut, at times almost suffocating atmosphere the book creates. You do get drawn in, and can feel the potential dangers lurking around every corner. Though at times you do not know who, if anyone to rout for.

Overall this is a worthwhile book to read, just do not read it in a setting where you are likely to be easily distracted.

[Andrea Galvez · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a sing-song of a pace, what feels like a coming of age story reveals itself to be a mystery, with full on FBI agents and sherrif detectives.

This novel is full of empathy-driving pauses and leaves the reader wondering about justice and deliverance.

My only complaint is how it how quickly Adams wrapped up the ending. I want more for Aziz and want to know more.

[Morgen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a group of Muslim Algerians in Boston- how they got here, their life here and their life in Algeria. Are they a terror cell? Are they just trying to get through each day while barely understanding the language and customs here? Or both- some innocent, some guilty? Set before 2001, but with mentions of joint terrorism task forces and Osama Bin Laden.

[CAROL · Rating 1 out of 5]

LA Times Book Prize & Art Seidenbaum Award for 1st fiction: but I did NOT like it.

Adams can write but the story was disjointed and hard to follow. Algerian refugee sneaks into Boston on a tanker, though shadowed by the CIA it was never proved that they were terrorists although the loosely knit group of Algerians were identity theieves & smugglers of cigarettes and other contraband.

[Gini · Rating 2 out of 5]

There just wasn't much of a story. I didn't think there was one at all for the first half of the book. The second half was a thriller, which had potential. But the ending was ultimately nothing. Where there should have been a climax there was nothing.

[Ploni Almoni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts strongly, becomes a drag around the middle. Still, very promising first novel.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3.5 stars***

[Bibliomantic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense, confusing, at times beautiful, other times brutal. An intriguing read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

At times this book is confusing and hard to find footing, which is what makes it so well executed. It feels designed to make the reader feel disoriented in the same way the characters feel disoriented in navigating an unfamiliar place and culture. Excellent read.

[Jeff Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have this book three stars because while it raises our conscience that not all immigrants from one culture or region or religion are involve in violent or nefarious activities, it really didn't add anything new to this theme. This was a character driven novel. The initial, and the primary protagonist was Aziz, an Algerian who made it to Boston hidden in the cargo hole of a ship. He meets up with other Algerians, one being his contact in Boston, who gives him a place to live and help to find a job. As the novel progresses, we are introduced to other Algerians who have immigrated to the US illegally and legally. Aziz is making an honest life, however, his contact Rafik is involved in drug dealing and big time theft of clothing. More and more we are introduce to more Algerians who move into Aziz's apartment and then move away, yet the author continues to weave their lives with Aziz's. The author even uses flashback to develop Aziz's character. The author did a masterful job of creating round and believable characters. Some, like Aziz and Heather, I felt empathy toward. Yet as the novel progressed and as more characters were introduced and developed, my investment in Aziz and Heather was distracted. I was not disturbed by this. Instead I find this to be a sophisticated tactic of craft which dilutes one's complete attention from one or a few characters. It makes a story more believable. In this story I wanted things to end well for Aziz and Heather even though I knew realistically they couldn't. The novel began at a good pace but at about the two-thirds point the suspense began to wane. There was too much sexual relationship, or the sexual prowess of certain characters toward the end that seemed unnecessary and slowed the plot down. What had began as stream-lined and interesting at the beginning got bogged down with unnecessary characterization such as the sluggishness during the scenes relating Aziz's reason for leaving Algeria. Although necessary, it got to be too much, and then confusing. I would give this novel a 3.5. I read this after reading Richard Flanagan's THE UNKNOWN TERRORIST. That was Flanagan's attempt to write a thriller. He did a good job, but it wasn' THE DAY OF THE JACKAL. The reviews for HARBOR describe it many agreeable ways. This is a pretty good novel. It is not something I am encouraging people that they must read. The writing style is not original, the plot is not vivid, not razor-sharp, or fast-paced as The Miami Herald reviewer opined. It is an introspective story and somewhat complex just for the many characters one has to keep track of. It is not endlessly fascinating nor tantalizingly beautiful. Yet it is imaginative and com peeling social commentary about our overwhelming fears and how they make us act irrationally, our law enforcement officials and politicians act not with care but with power and toward the pursuit of grabbing more power at the loss of liberty. There always has to be a bogey man.

[Weavre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aziz Arkoun ... illegal immigrant, former Algierian terrorist, coffee entrepreneur, friend, brother, and son ... Harbor offers rich, complex characters in its protagonist and his companions.

As the editorial cover blurb and other reviewers have mentioned, the primary question Adams raises is, "Who is a terrorist?" Is Aziz a terrorist because he killed in order to survive when he lived in Algieria, one of the most politically unstable places on Earth? After all, given opportunity, he might have grown old taking leadership of his father's hotel, smiling happily to tourists who come to him to enjoy nothing more than a good meal and a sunny beach. He might have married the woman he wanted to love, and raised contented children with her, if he hadn't seen her killed first. Even in America, what does it mean when a group of Muslim men draw circles on a subway map? Are they plotting an attack, or seeking coffee-sale locations protected from Boston's winter weather?

And, what about Aziz's companions, particularly those featured in the story's current Boston setting? Stowaways who swim ashore in Boston's frigid harbor may escape the mayhem of Algeria and similar places, but they won't be allowed to earn legal incomes in the US without documentation. So how do we judge them if they sell a few plastic Batman action figures or Versace suits, origin unknown?

Adams perhaps did a good job of showing how ordinary, or almost ordinary, people can find themselves engaged in immoral behavior. She made it possible to suspend judgment long enough to get to know her characters. However, I ultimately didn't sympathize with them as completely as I might have. This failure was perhaps pushed along by how very tired I got of reading one penis comment after another. Halfway through the book, I found myself flipping to the front cover to confirm the author has a female name, and wondering if it's a pseudonym or if a female author really felt the need to write such crude prose. Maybe such comments are an accurate description of the words and thoughts of some Algierian immigrants. If so, I might find sympathy for their plight from a distance, but no particular joy in their company. I plain got tired of all the penis comments!

So, three stars from me; I do like including Algierians in the current fashion of writing about Muslim people in the United States and elsewhere, as their culture's quite different from those of the Middle East and stretching into India. I do like exploring the ways in which we as a society decide whom to arrest on charges of terrorism, whom to fear, whom to welcome, whom to pity. Unfortunately, Adams' graphic unloving sex, far-too-graphic violence, and all those penis remarks actually got in the way of what could have been a very compelling story.

[Cassidy Brinn]

A wrenchingly strong beginning and lovely writing throughout, but the other reviewers were right to call it disjointed. It worked in some ways - Aziz's back-story comes like a revelation to explain his distanced paranoia. However some bits were brushed over too quickly, especially Ghazi's transformation around 2/3 through. Heather is never fleshed out and it's particularly annoying that Lorraine only chooses to let us into her head once she loses a lot of weight and starts sleeping with another guy... definitely wasn't a single strong female character in the book at all. No one paper-thin police officer doesn't count. The whole hunt was not done with the sensitivity she probably could have mustered, I felt like all of a sudden I was watching crime TV.

Sitll, I found it an engrossing, rich book. I guess Aziz makes it all worth it. Watching him struggle to understand the gestures and language of the foreign people around him, trying to make sense of his life and his drive for survival, of why things were bad in Algeria and bad in a much different way for him in America, we got to follow along as he explored all this with great poetry and insight.

[Regulator · Rating 5 out of 5]

As current as the headlines, this debut novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lorraine Adams takes a penetrating look at the marginal lives of a group of Arab Muslims living in the United States and Canada. The story begins in Boston Harbor, where Algerian immigrant Aziz Arkoun swims ashore from a tanker. It's his third attempt to escape from his country and he's finally successful in reaching his destination. Ill and disoriented from his experiences—and knowing little English—Aziz connects with a cousin (who may or may not be involved in illegal dealings), works for a brute boss in a minimum-wage job, and sleeps in a chair at night in an overcrowded apartment. Then he and his friend Ghazi come under FBI scrutiny. Adams explores the question: "Who is a terrorist?" and finds no easy answers.

Recommended by Nancy Blood

[Liana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story begins with a young Algerian escaping his country as a stowaway on a ship headed for America. He hooks up with his cousin and they proceed to move into a crowded apartment full of immigrants in East Boston. From there, the story jumps around a bit, going back and forth from Aziz's previous life pretending to be a man named Nazzar, who was sought out by an infiltrating cell of terrorists in their army camp abroad to the present day where they are running from the FBI who is seeking them out for their possible involvement in identity fraud and terrorist activities in the US.

Although the writer is great at making the reader feel as though they are a part of the actual events that took place in the novel, the names of the characters and the intermittent flashbacks cause a confusion and a sort of loss in attention span when reading the novel.

[Lundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel raises several troubling questions:

How can we effectively combat terrorism, if we don’t understand the language and culture?

How much do we know about other cultures/ places like Algeria?

Can we even accurately identify the real terrorists versus people desperately looking for a better life and trying to stay hidden from scrutiny.

To what extent has involvement by the US and other countries like France created atmospheres of chaos, violence and ultimately resentment/ hatred against Western and US governments?

The nature of good and evil?

Clearly, Aziz is conflicted about the things he did in the Army. However, he did those things to survive.

Overall, a fascinating but at the same time unsettling book.

[Carol Wagers · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILERS AHEAD: This book received several book awards: NOTE TO SELF: STOP BUYING BOOKS BECAUSE OF AWARDS! I found the story disjointed & confusing to follow. It attempts to explain the difficulties encountered by illegal immigrants from Algeria who arrived as stowaways on oil freighters. Though the CIA shadows this group of loosely related men for nearly 5 years, they are unable to prove any terrorist aims. The men are involved in identify & other types of theft. It is a depressing tale, with flashbacks to the horrors of war in Algeria. One especially disturbing chapter shows Aziz realizing that he had participated in the gang rape & murder of his fiance: his parents had arranged the marriage & he didn't know her.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably would never have read this book if it hadn't been for the TALK Book Discussion offered through the Kansas Humanites Council. This is probably a pretty accurate description of an illegal immigrant Arab in today's United States. Harbor is well written, however, it seemed to be great detail until the end where it is quickly wrapped up. I had to read the last several pages over again because it was very fast - especially considering the previous detail. Strong feeling are developed for the characters - both positive and negative. Are we too quick to judge illegal aliens and Arabs in the USA?

[Emma Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harbor is a book about an Algerian named Aziz who is an illegal immigrant having stowed himself into America on a cargo ship. The story vacillates between the present time where Aziz is always looking for under the table work and his time in Algeria where he was forced into the civil war. The storyline was very disjointed and the way Adams weaves the other characters from Algeria and America into the story left me feeling confused and wanting more background. An average book but if you're looking for in depth characters, a look into the life of an illegal immigrant and more details on Algeria this is not the book for you.

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gets off to a great start, then goes into a complete incomprehensible freefall. The author seems to realize about 50pp. in that she has no idea what to do with her story or her characters, and she doesn't seem to really care. If it's actual insight into America, immigrants, terrorism, and the darkest corners of the human psyche you want -- or if it's just an amazing book you want -- skip this and head straight to A Day and A Night and A Day, easily the best book I read last year.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so beautiful,but also shockingly realistic. I learned alot about Algerian culture from this novel, and it demonstrates another side of the Arabic culture--a side that many people don't notice. The protagonist of the book is about as innocent as one could get, but has gone through so much in spite of being so young. A good cast of characters (although not all are by definition good people) shows that evil can not be a person, but a feeling, desire, lie, etc. Very good book!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite prose that sometimes obscures rather than clarifies, this is a profoundly interesting book, with complex characters struggling to make sense of their lives in the US after leaving behind violence, love, and family in a rapidly deteriorating Algeria. The Anti-Terrorism task force characters, who come in near the end, are necessarily less-complex and therefore less believable, but nonetheless this finishes with a nice sense of the complexities of the intersections of multiple lives.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating look at a group of Algerian "illegal aliens" living in Boston. some are actually involved in illegal activites and linked to terrorists, but some are innocent. we see mostly from their perspective, but then the FBI gets involved and we see both viewpoints up until the arrest of the innocents.
i got confused during the flashbacks (probably because I don't know Algerian politics or history), but a more careful reader probably wouldn't have had any problems.

[Sue]

I actually read over half this book, with some interest. It's the story of a young illegal immigrant (to Boston) from Algeria. But as the story progressed, it got increasingly confused (imho). One review said, "...all assumptions-his and ours-dissolve in an urgent, mesmerizing complexity." I agree about the "complexity" but not that it was "mesmerizing."

September 2024: Tried again; reached same conclusion (but much earlier in the book)

[Mark Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knowledgeable as she may be about the war on terrorism and even the subtleties of different movements and factions in the middle east and Arab world, her novel writing leaves a lot to be desired. I found the prose devoid of feeling, reading more like a journalistic article for unsophisticated readers. It never improved for me and when she had Mexican laborers working for beer I lost any remaining respect for Adams as a writer.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fictional account of Middle Eastern illegals that move here for a better life and the prejudices of American's in a pre-9/11 world.

Did I Like It?
Alright. Interesting to see what goes through the minds of the Middle Eastern folk, and then what we as Americans think about them.