Ms. Hen reviews The Way of Love

 

The Way of Love

Nigel Watts

Thorsons

1999

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she was scrounging around for books, and her hen sister had this from when she was in college. This book is about Rumi, the Sufi mystic poet, and Ms, Hen had always wanted to learn more about him. She understands that people admire his poetry, even though she has not read a lot of it.

This novel centers around the friendship between Rumi, who is referred to as Jalal in this novel and his friend and teacher Shams. Jalal was already a respected imam who teaches college in his town. He is married and has two sons. Shams arrives one day and shatters Jalal's world. The two men spend time alone together in a small room, barely eating or drinking; they simply meditate and grow to understand each other in their silence.

Jalal's wife is upset that she is not part of their friendship. She thinks that since she is his wife, she should be more important than a man who is Jalal's mentor. Shams goes away for a while, but Jalal finds him. Jalal starts to whirl, and he goes out of time, able to understand things that are not clear to him at other times. The people in the town don't like how Jalal is unnaturally obsessed with Shams. Jalal's son deceives him, and it devastates him.

Ms. Hen thinks this book might be considered a thirteen century bromance, if such a word existed back then. This novel was based on a real friendship of Rumi's with a mystic named Shams, and how people reacted to them. Ms. Hen does not know if it was unnatural for men to be so closely attached to each other in those days.

When Jalal first meets Shams he runs from him, "' I'm not ready, I'm not ready,' Jalal shouted over his shoulder, darting past children, setting chickens flapping and squawking." The chickens appear right at the moment when he meets Shams, which is an important moment in his life.

Ms. Hen liked this novel, but she found herself distracted by it. She thinks it's an important story, although it's a little weird. Ms. Hen is okay with weird most of the time, but bromance isn't really her things. Also, she thinks that two men alone in a room together for weeks on end would be unsanitary and odorous.