Ahmed Saadawi gives up on none of his characters. No less than 20 recur in Frankenstein in Baghdad.

How he managed to keep each one relevant amazed me only in hindsight, however. The total number of characters even mentioned -- more than 30 -- overwhelmed me throughout the book.

Ultimately, I finished Frankenstein in Baghdad because I'm a fan of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. That, and a local librarian who didn't even know this recommended it to me two years ago. (At the time, I stopped reading it early on because I was moving.) Unlike Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, F.I.B. focuses less on the creature's conscience than the interconnection of the citizenry that surrounds him.

In hindsight, another thing that amazed me was Saadawi's modes of characterization. Considering the recurring ones alone, a few characters have no dialogue at all. One is a pet. Another is an inanimate object. And so on. Given the array of characters and backstories, I'd recommend reading F.I.B. as part of a book club or group. That, and to better connect with some of the characters.

One of my favorites is the elderly Elishva, who resolves to stay in occupied Baghdad for an extraordinary reason. Another is Father Josiah, who exercises incredible patience with her.

That's not his child!

I never felt so adamant about saying something like that.

Sour Candy is as good as the cover art. It was the outline of a smokey-red background by massive antlers from a deer skull that caught my initial attention.

In that space is a nightmare that confronts only Phil, the main character. SMH: I couldn't help but feel for him.

​That thing is not his child.

Sour Candy is well-suited for the Kindle app it's hosted on (or e-readers in general). It's a short story. It's not bogged down with fleeting details. And the vocabulary level isn't rudimentary, but bite-size intervals of reading aren't hindered by persistent definition lookups.

I first learned about Burke's work through his story in the anthology Dark Cities (C. Golden). If you liked "The Dogs" (Scott Smith) in that anthology (and I did!), then give Sour Candy a try.

Sour Candy is one of, according to his bio at the end, Burke's works optioned for a movie. Optioning is no guarantee for movie production, but I hope it works out in his favor.

A book review of Sour Candy (Kealan Patrick Burke)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including one on Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke, at landturn.com/reviews.

Commemorating 5 years of landturn.com​ (2019 - 2023)

Related: "The Ladies of Holderness" (Fowler) (2019)
Related: "Frankenstein in Baghdad" (Saadawi) (2023)
Related: "Dark Cities" anthology (2021)​
Related: "The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer" (2020)
Related: "A Christmas in Calcutta" (Sardar) (2019)
Related: "La Chica Salvaje" (Owens) (2020)
Related: Authors (Active)