Empires of Sand

A book that I read earlier in the year and, yet, never posted about, Empires of Sand was a book that I really should have posted so much sooner. Adventure, love, camaraderie, familial relationships, on and on. It never failed me for a moment.

Parisian explorer and innovator Henri DeVries falls in love with Serena of the Tuareg, a tribe from the Algiers. The two of them return to Paris to marry and have a son, Moussa. Throughout his childhood, Moussa and his cousin Paul are thick as thieves, and the bond with Henri and Serena is so strong with fencing lessons and stories of the Tuareg. The church disagrees, making it known that Serena and Moussa are outsiders and will never belong to Paris society… if they only cared to, ha-ha. With the Prussian War striking the city so close and Serena doing what it takes to protect her son from the church’s harassment, the two manage to escape from Paris, returning to the desert where they truly belong. Skip ten years, and Moussa and Paul meet once again on opposite sides of a conflict that ends in much bloodshed and so much misunderstanding because of cultural differences. Family is strong, though, and love conquers all.

I read on Goodreads that in general, people seemed to really like Empires of Sand, the writing well done and the story is strong enough to pull you along for the ride. There were some naysayers, that it tends to get longwinded and the characters have no dynamic. I personally disagree with that. I do not think there was anything complex about the sentences; it was easy to follow along. There was a lot of high tension going on, with so much happening at once, every character had an obstacle and inward workings. Moussa being bullied continually because of his race, Paul and his broken relationship with his parents, Serena’s lack of acceptance, the war’s impact on society and especially the DeVries, on and on. That was just the first half of the book as well. The second half increases the focus on Paul and Moussa’s personal growth as people in worlds that collide in cultural differences. At the root of it, they never change who they are, they simply adapt to the environment, which is incredibly commendable.

Throughout Empires of Sand, I kept seeing this theme of the father figure and importance of one. In the first half, you have two examples of fathers, one who is absent in the relationship and one who is all in. I loved the character of Henri, he reminds me of Rick O’Connell from The Mummy, but is more gentlemanly and dignified because of bourgeoise upbringing. Henri is an amazing father, supplementing for Paul’s father, who is busy with military duties and climbing its ladder. So when the second part comes around and [Spoilers] Henri dies before making it to Africa and Paul’s father dies from suicide following humiliating injustices, [side note, that whole storyline is so heartbreaking] the boys revolve their growing around their fathers. Paul trying to follow in his father’s footsteps, and Moussa trying to find his identity. There is a lot of power in that, and it is so great when they both come to the conclusions that they wanted.

I am keeping this book. It would not surprise me if this became a movie, or series. I would see it if it did, ha-ha. It is so entertaining, and gives that depth of characters and storyline that keeps you moving along. I hope you get a chance to read Empires of Sand, I really do. You will be able to find it here.

Have a great rest of the summer everyone. Enjoy whatever book you read.

10/10