The Twelve Rooms of the Nile / Enid Shomer / 480 pgs

     What do you think would happen if Gustave Flaubert met Florence Nightingale while on vacation in Egypt in the early nineteenth century? Well, in reality they didn't but were in Egypt at the same time. So it is possible they could have crossed paths at some point. Talk about two polar opposites! Enid Shomer has taken on this interesting conundrum and has left us with a rather interesting tale. Gustave is traveling with a friend Max Du Camp who has taken their governmental charge rather seriously. Max is taking pictures of the wonders of Egypt as the two of them cruise up and down the Nile. Gustave has taken on the task of doing 'squeezes' (impressions) of the carvings. Florence is traveling with an older couple to get away from her family for a while. They are unhappy with her dismissal of a marriage suitor and her strange curiosity about life.

    The two cross paths and invite one another for dinner and a curious friendship is born. This story isn't hurried rather like a journey on the Nile. The writing is filled with the sights and sounds of Egypt. The Sphinx and pyramids have just been discovered and the spectacle of the past underscores a lot of the book. Does one stick to family's expectations or go off down a small path in the hopes it will lead to something bigger? With some exciting adventures along with way, our wayward duo try to find some answers. 

    This isn't a novel to be rushed through. It moves rather languidly and can be confusing in places. Max speaks French and it isn't translated so we are left wondering what he just said. Also the two male characters visit brothels on a regular basis and things can get explicit. Shomer could have used more of an editor but the story itself is rather intriguing. Recommended for history buffs.

Six Degrees of Reading:  Cascade: A Novel by Maryanne O'Hara, The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri, In The Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner.