The Patchwork Cloak of Kamal Bey starts off in a very tense and nail-biting situation. Traveling in the deep rural stretches in third-world countries can often result in unexpected and unsavory encounters. As a memoir, the author John Zada does justice in sharing stories from his adventurous life.

I normally like fiction and mystery more and don't read nonfiction that much, but I happened to spot this ARC on NetGalley, and to be honest, it did not disappoint. The book cover is exquisite and caught my eye, and the allure of learning more about parts of the world I am still unfamiliar with led me to read it, and I came out happy—well, somewhat.

John Zada writes very eloquently and weaves his narrative with great diction and prose. When you take away the author's personal experiences, much of the book is a treatise on Arabic and Middle Eastern customs, rituals, and cultural ethos. Much of it is evidently painstakingly researched and presented in very consumable technicality, which made for an enlightened yet entertaining read without coming across as a discourse.

The East versus West mindset was very clearly seen, pretty much in the author's own thought process. Born to Egyptian parents who moved to Canada, John's ardent curiosity to learn about the land his parents came from led him to take up a Master's in International Relations program at the American University of Cairo. I was fascinated by the characters he meets there, but the main protagonist of the book, Kamal Bey, is truly a multifaceted personality - creative, cunning, wise, and aristocratic (well, in his circles he was). His ideologies make the reader think, and I enjoyed reading about his larger-than-life story.

Everyone has a 'Curt' friend in their life. Someone who cares zilch about the establishment, cares no less for their future, but is a daredevil to want to taste all that life has to offer. I LMAO'd at the crazy escapades that he dragged John the author into, and he kind of rounded off this amazing memoir for me.

"We had both grown up languishing in the ennui of North American suburbia, victims of its logical orderings, clinical subdivisions and manifold sensory deprivations. The suburban commuter existence marries the least desirable aspects of both rural and urban living, creating a bland insularity of existence. Morocco was a raw octane stimulant and antidote to the banality of our lives back home."

Again, heaping lots of praise on the author's articulate writing.

The quest for personal identity and belonging and traveling to find both seemed like a good premise for a memoir. A Canadian by birth with family roots in the Middle East, the author, as a student and then as a journalist, lives and works in various countries in the Middle East hoping to find a connection and sense of belonging amidst the realities of an uncertain world there in contrast to the stable western life he has in his birth country. I enjoyed the parts about Kemal Bey and the stories he shared with the author - he was definitely a wise and insightful character and a great mentor for the author. While the author’s travels and encounters were interesting, especially the section about Mardin, there was some naïveté involved with regard to cultural norms, especially in Egypt, which could have led to disastrous outcomes - luckily that did not happen. The structure of the book made it sometimes difficult to keep track and stay engaged as the transitions were not always smooth - ironically it felt a bit like a patchwork. I had hoped to enjoy this book more than I did - overall, a three-star read. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.