I Am No One
Patrick Flanery
Atlantic Books
Dh85
Patrick Flanery's Absolution (2012) was a remarkably accomplished first novel which explored South Africa's brutal past through conversations between a writer and her biographer. His follow-up, Fallen Land (2013), was a tale of possession and obsession in contemporary America. In his latest novel, I Am No One, Flanery deals with the equally weighty issues of identity, memory and the fragile privacy of the individual in a modern world of blanket surveillance. And once again, Flanery ably demonstrates that fiction can be simultaneously electrifying and thought-provoking.
Jeremy O’Keefe, a professor of history, has returned to New York after a decade teaching at Oxford. Despite losing himself in work and attending the lavish parties thrown by his daughter – an art gallery owner – and her media tycoon husband, O’Keefe feels lonely and alienated, unable to fit in and settle down in his native city.
His period of readjustment is made all the more difficult by a growing sense of unease, which starts when he is stood up by a student, and worsens when he learns that it was he who cancelled the meeting – an act of which he has no recollection.
Two boxes turn up at his door containing thousands of pages of all his online activity over the last 10 years. He bumps into the same young man in unlikely places three times in one week.
After several sightings of a shadowy figure in a ski mask looking up at his apartment, and the all-clear from a neurologist dispelling fears that he is imagining everything, O’Keefe’s initial self-doubt – “Am I losing it?” – hardens into unshakeable belief: “I was being watched.”
To find out why and by whom, O’Keefe casts back, searching for evidence of his own wrongdoing that may have turned a former friend into a stalker with a grievance.
He replays his Oxford years, centring on his romance with an Egyptian student, his discovery that her brother was involved in terrorism, and his intimidation and ensnarement at the hands of a wily spook.
But as O’Keefe plunders his past, he continues to pay for previous mistakes in the present. More boxes appear, this time full of his phone records and CCTV images of him going about his business. Anonymous calls and sinister messages instil further panic.
Soon this expert on East Germany’s secret police is left wondering if he is being monitored by a slighted individual bent on revenge, or spied on by the all-seeing, all-powerful intelligence agencies for being an unwitting enemy of the state.
O’Keefe tells us we are reading an “account of my innocence”. However, thanks to his many digressions and circumlocutions, it is also so much more.
As well as charting the “strange changes pressing against the trajectory of my life”, O’Keefe dilates on marriage, film plots, the trials of acculturation and the erosion of personal freedoms. He is a garrulous narrator, prone to long, elegant sentences which loop and expand, but which also veer off and retreat from an original point. We must sift five frustrating pages of padding before we find out what is in O’Keefe’s first box.
“Paranoid I might have been,” he explains, “but delusional I was not.” And yet the reader is never completely sure how reliable a narrator O’Keefe is.
Like Clare Wald, the reclusive writer in Absolution who has penned a volume of "fictionalised memoirs", O'Keefe constantly keeps us on our toes, prompting us to sift his testimony, query why he doesn't report his persecution to the police, and guess what monstrous truth lurks beneath the mere iceberg-tip on show.
American-born Flanery lives in London, and, perhaps as a result of this, O’Keefe’s cultural dislocation rings true. In all his years at Oxford, O’Keefe is perceived as an American abroad, despite his best efforts to assimilate, while back home he is regarded as an Englishman in New York.
Flanery’s riffs on madness have bite and wit (sanity is an enclave within the larger realm of insanity, “a Vatican or San Marino of the mind”), and his meditations on observation, data collection and protection contribute new insight and convey fresh chills.
In places, the novel’s twisting tangents resemble less breathless feats than long-winded assaults. Also, the periodic asides on Anglo-American differences – “tidbit (or as the British say, titbit)” – quickly grate.
Otherwise, this account, whether of innocence or not, makes richly compelling reading.
Malcolm Forbes is a regular contributor to The Review.
Results
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7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Trenchard, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Mulfit, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Waady, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
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No.6 Collaborations Project
Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
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Jawab Iteiqal
Director: Mohamed Sammy
Starring: Mohamed Ramadan, Ayad Nasaar, Mohamed Adel and Sabry Fawaz
2 stars
Result:
1. Cecilie Hatteland (NOR) atop Alex - 31.46 seconds
2. Anna Gorbacheva (RUS) atop Curt 13 - 31.82 seconds
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) atop Cash Up - 32.81 seconds
4. Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (UAE) atop Peanuts de Beaufour - 35.85 seconds
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) atop Benur du Romet - 37.53 seconds
6. Annika Sande (NOR) atop For Cash 2 - 31.42 seconds (4 penalties)
