Review of A Place Under the Sun
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Ram Sahni
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Review of A Place Under the Sun
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Place Under the Sun" by Luis Urtueta.]
A Place Under the Sun by Luis Urtueta is not your typical expatriate literature. It abandons the tropical climates and sand for a hothouse depiction of a young man and his struggles with success, loneliness, and the apocalyptic core of Dubai’s business culture.
Enrique, our protagonist, represents the ideal of the foreigner’s dream. He is a young and dynamic Spaniard and has secured a highly-paid job at a consulting firm in Dubai. But there is a hidden cacophony building beneath the facade of wealth and achievement. Enrique occasionally feels the initial temptation of the expat life—fast money, lifestyle—but finds it hard to adjust to the corporate world. The constant need to meet expectations, the fake friendships, and the perpetual moving around add to this feeling of isolation against the backdrop of the Dubai sun. Urtueta is able to create a world where there are no simple heroes and villains. Enrique, though ambitious, is not an ideal person. He is utterly self-assured and self-obsessed, which causes him to make some morally dubious decisions. Still, this multifacetedness makes him an interesting villain. We watch it through his gradually more skeptical eyes, doubting even those ideals that got him into this golden fishbowl in the first place.
Julieta, the other consultant, is a perfect example of a corporate killer. It is one of the rare scenes that shows what her obsession with her career means for being human—a horrible fate. Henry is an older expat offering a cautionary tale. His outlook is a necessary and more sinister contrast to Enrique’s early optimism and outlines some of the dangers of defining your existence through a corporate ladder. A Place Under the Sun goes beyond the usual office drama. It explores the existential questions of contemporary living. Urtueta paints a picture of loneliness and despair in a world that has lost its spiritual purpose and focuses solely on wealth and possessions. Dubai’s sparkling high-rises morph into symbols of futility linked to overreaching. The story is interspersed with references to philosophy and forces the reader to think about what they give up and how they define their happiness.
Anyway, there was nothing to dislike. A Place Under the Sun is not a light and positive book. It is a brutal yet realistic depiction of the negative side of expat life. It might make you wonder why the corporate rat race is so attractive and cause you to ask yourself if it is for you. The editing was excellent. But it’s this raw honesty that makes the novel so effective. It sparks discussion and raises the question of whether human happiness is actually derived from the constant seeking of external approval.
This novel is a great recommendation for readers who look for literary fiction that goes beyond the labels. It is a character study with well-honed philosophical underpinnings that will stay with you long after reading the last chapter. It might not be that kind of light entertainment if you are looking for it. But if you’re willing to deal with the existential core of the expat nightmare, A Place Under the Sun is a very satisfying experience. This book will receive 5 out of 5 stars from me.
******
A Place Under the Sun
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Place Under the Sun by Luis Urtueta is not your typical expatriate literature. It abandons the tropical climates and sand for a hothouse depiction of a young man and his struggles with success, loneliness, and the apocalyptic core of Dubai’s business culture.
Enrique, our protagonist, represents the ideal of the foreigner’s dream. He is a young and dynamic Spaniard and has secured a highly-paid job at a consulting firm in Dubai. But there is a hidden cacophony building beneath the facade of wealth and achievement. Enrique occasionally feels the initial temptation of the expat life—fast money, lifestyle—but finds it hard to adjust to the corporate world. The constant need to meet expectations, the fake friendships, and the perpetual moving around add to this feeling of isolation against the backdrop of the Dubai sun. Urtueta is able to create a world where there are no simple heroes and villains. Enrique, though ambitious, is not an ideal person. He is utterly self-assured and self-obsessed, which causes him to make some morally dubious decisions. Still, this multifacetedness makes him an interesting villain. We watch it through his gradually more skeptical eyes, doubting even those ideals that got him into this golden fishbowl in the first place.
Julieta, the other consultant, is a perfect example of a corporate killer. It is one of the rare scenes that shows what her obsession with her career means for being human—a horrible fate. Henry is an older expat offering a cautionary tale. His outlook is a necessary and more sinister contrast to Enrique’s early optimism and outlines some of the dangers of defining your existence through a corporate ladder. A Place Under the Sun goes beyond the usual office drama. It explores the existential questions of contemporary living. Urtueta paints a picture of loneliness and despair in a world that has lost its spiritual purpose and focuses solely on wealth and possessions. Dubai’s sparkling high-rises morph into symbols of futility linked to overreaching. The story is interspersed with references to philosophy and forces the reader to think about what they give up and how they define their happiness.
Anyway, there was nothing to dislike. A Place Under the Sun is not a light and positive book. It is a brutal yet realistic depiction of the negative side of expat life. It might make you wonder why the corporate rat race is so attractive and cause you to ask yourself if it is for you. The editing was excellent. But it’s this raw honesty that makes the novel so effective. It sparks discussion and raises the question of whether human happiness is actually derived from the constant seeking of external approval.
This novel is a great recommendation for readers who look for literary fiction that goes beyond the labels. It is a character study with well-honed philosophical underpinnings that will stay with you long after reading the last chapter. It might not be that kind of light entertainment if you are looking for it. But if you’re willing to deal with the existential core of the expat nightmare, A Place Under the Sun is a very satisfying experience. This book will receive 5 out of 5 stars from me.
******
A Place Under the Sun
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Kovalenko Secret by Philip L Rettew
