Kindle Edition Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon sabri.org Category:  Action/Thriller Publisher: CreateSpace ISBN-10:  154529948X Type: Fiction Pages: 114 Copyright: July28 2017 ISBN-13: 9781545299487 Price: $2.50 (eBook) an extraordinary tale of one man fighting against a never-ending plague of medical conditions to which the author’s academic doctorate is totally irrelevant. The tale does, however, make up for the author’s lack of medical training with the constant flow of health professionals in the cast. For anyone to have to digest the poisonous soup of diseases with strange names that is the theme running through this fictional tale of nonfiction is punishment enough, but for that same man to have to suffer the trials of an overactive sexual appetite, for which the physical apparatus required to satisfy the same ends up among the many failing organs in his body, must be purgatory indeed What is reality, and what is fiction? Do any of us really know in the end? This is something that the author, and in turn the reader, ponders throughout this novel by Sabri Bebawi, titled Divine Comedy. How can one man face so many medical obstacles in a single lifetime? Can one man have such fervent love affairs with so many exotic women and yet never seem to really find true love? Life is, after all, a Divine Comedy. As the author wrote, “There are only two ways to react to life’s trials and tribulations—either become frustrated, bitter, and angry and feel sorrow or see all events as comical and somewhat wacky.”       Bebawi does a great job of reiterating his book’s theme throughout the novel. There is no doubt left upon the readers of this book exactly what the author set out to accomplish through his unique style of storytelling. The revolving mention of Divine Comedy is interwoven in almost every chapter, showing that life can be full of twists, turns, and upside downs, as well as times of beauty and love. This point was well articulated throughout the storytelling of the book.       As an uncommon angle throughout the story, the narrator has a wandering eye, along with an enticing way, with the ladies, leaving me wondering what void the character was trying to fill. I believe this humanized the character in a great way and showed great restraint. I believe what outwardly was shown as a strength was indeed something that many would look upon as a great weakness.       On the surface, this book is easy to read; however, to grasp the connectedness of the writing is a bit more challenging, requiring slowing down at times to absorb the deeper meaning of the story. While the words and overall thoughts flowed well, the reader needs to allow for the theme to be revealed; otherwise, one may find something in the story missing. I believe the rhythm of this author is uniquely different from all others I have experienced. The reveal of the story is only the beginning of the journey; thus, the strength in his writing is accomplished with the addition of allowing time for mulling over the underlying irony of the character’s awareness, affording the philosophical undercurrent the opportunity to rise from just the reading of the words.       The author did an excellent job of reminding us of the ever-changing nature of our world. Bebawi threaded a similar situation repeatedly, although the ailments and the faces changed. The ability to be true to a theme while still introducing new challenges and ideas allows Bebawi to truly master the writing of this book.       Bebawi leaves the readers to decide what is factual and what is fictional within the book. It makes the reader always wonder about the threads of reality, which is exactly the point of Divine Comedy. Overall, I found Divine Comedy by Sabri Bebawi to be a charming, unique story, full of adventure and emotion, with a creative edge for storytelling.         Excerpt 1 My name is Alexandre Akpors. I live in the only modern fascist state in the world of the year 2017. How this state became fascist no one knows, and I assure you no one will ever know. I shall not name the state out of respect for my readers’ intelligence. I shall only write that its fascist leader is referred to as POTUS. It is not a great time, but it is not a bad time either. To borrow from the great Charles Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities, “It is a season of light; it is a season of darkness.” I am attracted to the light, and I walk toward it each time I am able to spot it, which doesn’t happen too often. This is a suggestive part of the divine comedy of which this tale is being told. Where do I begin? Well, I came to this fascist state in 1980. It was not a fascist state yet; it was a major drug dealer under its then leader, Ronald Reagan, whom I respected, and I will never know why, and his deceptive wife, Nancy. I was a vibrant thirty-five-year-old professor and a lawyer, living in a modest apartment on Paramount Avenue in the city of Downey, California. On a gloomy day in 1991 or 1992, I cannot remember exactly, while I was reading Faulkner’s novel The Sound and the Fury, I suddenly felt extraordinary chest pain, jaw pain, and general discomfort. I called my first ex-wife, Helen, whom I had married in London, and my son Christian immediately, and since they lived very close to where I was, they came over. We called for help, and the ambulance arrived shortly. I was taken to the nearest medical facility, Downey Hospital. Evidently, I had what they believed to have been a myocardial infarction. I was removed from Downey Hospital via ambulance to the University of California, Irvine, where I had heart surgery. After a couple of days, I returned home. It took me six months to recover, but I was on Cardizem and nitroglycerin for several years. In addition to the extraordinary fear I felt during that divine-comedy episode, I had to wear a heart monitor around my neck for many months. To this day, I have to go through a stress-echo test once a year to ensure that my valve works effectively, since I have MVP, which stands for mitral valve prolapse. And according to the Mayo Clinic, this “occurs when the leaflets of the mitral valve bulge (prolapse) into the heart’s left upper chamber (left atrium) like a parachute during the heart’s contraction. Mitral (MY-trul) valve prolapse sometimes leads to blood leaking backward into the left atrium” (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Watching my health means that I see Dr. Michael Vasilomanolakis, who is also a Grammy Award winner, once or twice a year for an advanced checkup and advice on the many medications I currently take. Dr. Vasilomanolakis has become a great friend, and I trust him blindly. My cardiologist brother, Dr. Alfons Bebawi, has met him, and he agrees with me that Dr. Vasilomanolakis is one of the greatest doctors ever. Having a cardiologist brother is another face of the divine comedy that never ceases to amaze or amuse me. I watch, I feel, and I smile and look at life’s large gray eyes. I smile a little longer and dive into an ocean of emotions.

Pacific Book Review
What is reality and what is fiction? Do any of us really know in the end? This is something which the author, and in turn the reader, ponders throughout this novel by Sabri Bebawi titled Divine Comedy. How can one man face so many medical obstacles in a single lifetime? Can one man have such fervent love affairs with so many exotic women and yet never seem to really find true love? Life is, after all, a Divine Comedy. As the author wrote, “There are only two ways to react to life’s trials and tribulations: either to become frustrated, bitter, angry and feeling sorrow, or to see all as events as comical and, somewhat, wacky.”

Bebawi does a great job of reiterating his book’s theme throughout the novel. There is no doubt left upon the readers of this book exactly what the author set out to accomplish through his unique style of storytelling. The revolving mention of Divine Comedy is interwoven in almost every chapter; showing life can be full of twists, turns and upside downs, as well as times of beauty and love. This point was well articulated throughout the storytelling of the book.

As an uncommon angle throughout the story, the narrator has a wondering eye along with an enticing way with the ladies, leaving me wondering what void the character was trying to fill. I believe this humanized the character in a great way and showed great restraint. I believe what outwardly was shown as a strength was indeed something which many would look upon as a great weakness.

On the surface this book is easy to read, however to grasp the connectedness of the writing is a bit more challenging, requiring to slow down at times to absorb the deeper meaning of the story. While the words and overall thoughts flowed well, the reader needs to allow for the theme to be revealed, otherwise one may find something in the story missing. I believe the rhythm of this author is uniquely different than all others I have experienced. The reveal of the story is only the beginning of the journey; thus the strength in his writing is accomplished with the addition of allowing time for mulling over the underlying irony of the character’s awareness, affording the philosophical undercurrent to rise from just the reading of the words.

The author did a excellent job of reminding us of the ever-changing nature of our world. Bebawi threaded a similar situation repeatedly, although the ailments and the faces changed. The ability to be true to a theme while still introducing new challenges and ideas allow Bebawi to truly master the writing of this book.

Bebawi leaves the readers to decide what is factual and what is fictional within the book. It makes for the reader to always wonder about the threads of reality which is exactly the point of Divine Comedy. Overall, I found Divine Comedy by Sabri Bebawi to be a charming, unique story, full of adventure and emotion, with a creative edge for storytelling.

OnlineBookClub


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2 out of 4 stars
Review by CataclysmicKnight
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4
Divine Comedy by Sabri Bebawi gives us a look at the life of the author, Sabri Bebawi. Or perhaps it gives us a look at the real life of Alexandre Akpors, as the book often includes lines like "I, Alexandre Akpors...". Perhaps Alexandre Akpors is a pseudonym for the author, as the book states that "some names have been changed...the people, however, are real," or perhaps everything is entirely made up and none of the book is to be believed. This walking of the thin line between fiction and nonfiction is central to Divine Comedy, a book about the trials and tribulations of Alexandre Akpors, whoever that may be. Told in the first person and presumably as an autobiography, Alexandre discusses the myriad of health issues he faces and the slew of women he had relationships with over a 25 year period through recent times.

Alexandre's story begins in either 1991 or 1992 when he had extraordinary chest pain, jaw pain and general discomfort. He was taken to the hospital and then sent to the University of California, Irvine for heart surgery. Life isn't done, though; he's soon diagnosed with cancer, and following this terrible chain of events he discovers his wife had sex with her boss. She claims she was raped, so he calls the police who eventually reveal to him that she's been living with him for an unknown amount of time and she ends up asking for a divorce. Thus begins the cycle of pain that Alexandre faces for the next 25 years, one he refers to as a chess match against nature itself that he refuses to lose.

The loop of Alexandre's life typically follows these steps, although they aren't always in this order:
Alexandre brings up the name of a woman and how he knew or met her.
This new love interest's physical attributes are then described.
The good times Alexandre had with her are described, and maybe this time the divine comedy of life won't interfere and he can live a happy life with her.
The various ways Alexandre's growing list of medical issues affect his current love interest are listed.
For whatever reason, the two of them are forced to separate. The divine comedy of life has once again stepped in, but Alexandre won't ever give up on life or happiness and merely laughs it off.
At first it really felt like a coincidence that most of his stories happened in this way, but the more I paid attention the more I saw this semi-rigid format of storytelling. Despite this, some of the stories are a bit interesting, and there was even once or twice where I softly chuckled to myself. Comedy in the "haha" sense wasn't the author's intent, however; instead, the book is a comedy in the sense of a Shakespearean comedy or the original Divine Comedy by Dante - a story that starts off as a tragedy but ends in joy (or at least in less than death). In this manner the author truly succeeds; it's amazing how much Alexandre overcomes in his life with a smile on his face, laughing at fate and nature and whatever else may stand against him.

Mixed in with this flow the author frequently mentions how the story may appear to be fiction, but it was indeed his life and it's up to the reader to decide. At one point he even says "I sometimes do not know what is fiction and what is nonfiction. That is the main reason this book is being written as a work of fiction." This is the other primary theme of the book, that whether the book is fictional or not doesn't matter, and how do we know that life itself isn't fiction? While I'm more than happy to read a book that weaves an intriguing mystery of what's real and what isn't, simply being told "it doesn't matter if this is real or not, it's up to you" just isn't compelling.

Perhaps the hardest pill for many folks to swallow concerning Divine Comedy comes in the form of Alexandre's abrasive opinions. America, Donald Trump (America's current president) and religion are discussed negatively whenever the chance arises. While there are times people will agree with him on one or all of these topics, it seems the purpose of mentioning them at all is merely to bash them. Instead, it's merely stated that Donald Trump is a fascist and that Alexandre hates "religious Muslims". The worst example is with one of Alexandre's love interests. He was aware she was a "religious Muslim" when they got together, and he mentions that they were together for two years, but when it comes time to go their separate ways he writes, "Actually I remember the moment we said goodbye; it was when she said that Quran was the words of a god [sic] and is real. That, I do not accept, so I asked her to leave at once. Tolerance is one thing; stupidity is another." Again, these are things that some may agree with and others may not be offended by, but if any of these statements offends you it's best to leave the book alone.

All in all, this part-philosophy, part-romance, part-medical journey details 25 years of Alexandre's life. This includes 45 surgeries, over 180 medical procedures, numerous marriages and various additional relationships across the world. While I wasn't a fan of the book as a whole, it wasn't terrible, and for a person to come through all of the pain in this book with a smile on his face and a "bring it on" mentality is immensely inspiring. This mentality could be the focus of a motivational book of its own! It's also perfectly edited, and while the format was repetitive I never felt bored. My official rating is 2 out of 4 stars.