Rabih Alameddine: The Angel of History

Rabih Alameddine's The Angel of History takes place as much in the protagonist's head as it does in a psych ward where he checks himself in for a bit of rest while he battles the voices in his head. The voices become the characters that grapple with each other and with him while using his memories as fodder. Although memory is involved, this is not a book about identity. It is more a statement about forgetfulness. Alameddine points out that an onslaught of media is asking us to forget things constantly, but as Satan's voice asks, at what cost? Alameddine warns that without the time to sit and contemplate, we face the consequence of mediocre art.

Read an excerpt from The Angel of History.