The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams
In the 11th century in western China, angry monks chase and throw stones at a young orphaned boy. The monks had taken the boy in and educated him but later accused him of blasphemy. The boy stumbles into a trading caravan where a passenger, portly old Samir, rescues the boy and names him Monkey. Narrated by Monkey, their journey takes us eight hundred miles on the Silk Road through central Asia.
Along the way, Monkey develops a deep crush on the daughter of the caravan metalsmith. A few years older than Monkey, she disdains him but must hide her own secrets. Samir has talked his way into unfair, even fraudulent, exchanges over many trading trips and in many places. Now rumors abound that multiple wealthy victims have hired a string of six assassins to find and kill Samir. As thanks for his rescue and hoping to buy his freedom, Monkey promises to help him. Multiple attempts on Samir’s life by larger-than-life killers play out in astounding ways, some ingenious, but several work only as fantasy.
Nayeri pulls readers in with a fast pace and details that ring true. Beautiful color illustrations and author notes enhance the many boisterous encounters, harsh settings, and interesting characters. Monkey’s telling of the story is engaging and sometimes beautiful, though jarring modern-day expressions intrude (e.g., “his big score”; “scattershot”; “For a short second, I wondered . . .”; “shorter by an inch”). Seconds and inches were not known back then in central Asia. Overall, Nayeri’s treatments of human relations, love, life, and death set in far-off places will appeal to and educate middle-grade and older readers.
