Who Knows How the Heart Moves? A Review of Book of Wings by Tawhida Tanya Evanson
Tawhida Tanya Evanson, Book of Wings.
Esplanade Books, 2021. $19.95 CAD.
Order a copy from Esplanade Books.
“Who knows how the heart moves, until it stops moving toward you.” — Tawhida Tanya Evanson
A couple decides to travel the world together. They leave their home in Vancouver to cross the border into the United States and sail around the Caribbean as their first stop. Along the way, their relationship slowly fades as the protagonist hints at her changing feelings towards her lover, Shams. She expresses her frustrations and resentments in between fragmented declarations of love. In a Paris hotel room, the couple separates. Heartbreak pushes the protagonist to embark on a spiritual journey through her homeland of Morocco, although Shams follows along in her dreams.
Book of Wings is the debut novel from acclaimed artist Tawhida Tanya Evanson. Told in the first-person, Evanson takes her protagonist on a sweeping journey of grief across three continents. She starts as a solo traveller but is never truly alone as strangers become companions and move in and out of her life as she embarks on her journey in Morocco. Each new character offers her their generosity before leaving her behind with their advice. They are not only pit stops on her quest of self-discovery but also push the novel’s protagonist into letting people back in. With Shams remaining only in her dreams and memories, she is forced to look inwards and confront her grief, flipping between struggling and succeeding in her efforts to heal her heart.
With Islamic proclamations of Inshallah and morning azans, the protagonist uses Islam as a means of self-reflection. The characters around her illustrate Islamic principles as many tell her religious stories as well as their own theological experiences. Their names are even lifted straight from the Holy Quran, with the protagonist meeting a Mohammed, a Khadijah, a Jibril, a Hajar, and so on. Despite these Islamic themes, the author successfully avoids sounding didactic. Her time in Morocco is intertwined with her past travels with Shams. Book of Wings is as much a road towards spiritual fulfillment as it is a diasporic return to the homeland for the novel’s protagonist. From the Mediterranean, she sets eyes upon Morocco’s shores and proclaims herself an African daughter returning home. This combination of Islamic meditation and the arrival in her homeland brings her towards healing. This is where the protagonist is meant to be.
Evanson writes Book of Wings in poetic vignettes, and her language brings the reader straight into the protagonist's mind as she navigates her tumultuous heart. Evanson’s skill with poetry perfectly captures the protagonist’s journey of discovery and spiritual fulfillment because of how well her words make one reflect inwards: “I resorted to self-mutilation and self-worship all at once” (49). The snapshots of grief gives readers glimpses into the protagonist’s inner thoughts and inflict the same grief on the reader. Evanson’s poetics compel the reader to empathize with the protagonist’s broken heart.
The reader wanders around Morocco by the protagonist’s side as she recounts her travels and her memories. With each paragraph, Evanson is a visual storyteller diligently crafting the ships on the seas and the streets of Morocco: “Marrakesh is a myth-made tourist. The high-ringing tones of darbouka soared into the air above as I walked undercover in the rhythmic medina camouflaged in the usual scars” (68). Each character comes to life before the eyes, the reader being given the same experiences as the protagonist. When meeting with a medicine man, the protagonist describes him as “A man of gentle ways, he would gaze upward when listening in order to provide the most beautiful answer” (79). Throughout Book of Wings, Evanson invites the reader to look inwards as well, offering a way for their grief to heal alongside the protagonist’s journey.
Evanson makes the excellent choice to have her protagonist return to her memories of Sham throughout the novel. Instead of leaving him behind and solely focusing on moving forward, Evanson chooses the more realistic approach of having Sham’s memory become a recurring character. She says towards the end of her healing: “Shams is nothing but poetry now” (178). The reader can better understand the love the couple shared through these memories and understands why the relationship has come to its end. This choice better drives home why the protagonist's journey is so necessary.
Tawhida Tanya Evanson’s Book of Wings is a beautifully compelling tale of grief. As the protagonist runs away from her broken heart and tries to leave her memories behind her, Evanson crafts a relatable experience that has the reader reflect on themselves and consider their own personal journeys, wherever they may be going. While Book of Wings is worth reading for the poetry alone, Evanson also gives the reader the gift of reflection and an opportunity to confront one’s own memories and experience healing.
Alina Faulds is an Ottawa-based writer and film critic. She is on the editorial team of CLAPPER, an independent online film publication, and is on the podcast team of Rianne Pictures, a production company that champions women and non-binary filmmakers. She has also written for Flip Screen, Screen Queens, and Film Daze, and makes frequent appearances on ClapperCast, a podcast that focuses on new film releases.