a bit of a disappointment

From the start of “Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty” I was in angst. Our unnamed narrator arrives in Casablanca and immediately loses her backpack with her ID, money, passport, and everything of value to her. I’ve been to Casablanca and it’s NOT a country you want to be without your American passport and money, especially if you are female.

Adding to my reading anxiety is the countless bad decisions made by the unnamed narrator. In fact, I kept thinking this must be a nightmare that she will awake from. No, author Vendela Vida did not employ that cheap device, and I should have known better.

Yet, Vida’s Morocco is not the Morocco I visited 4 years ago. Thus, I was uneasy from the start. All the narrator’s decisions should have landed her in some deep trouble. Maybe you might be able to do those whacky things in America, but I cannot see how a female could get away with all her loosey-goosey behavior in an African country.

If you can get over the impossibilities of the narrator’s situation, Vida writes an interesting protagonist. We know she is running away from something. She’s from Dellis Beach FL. She has a twin sister from whom she’s estranged. It appears she’s also getting a divorce. She seems to be on the verge of a mental break down. Her twin sister was the prettier and more popular one. The narrator has terrible skin, which we are reminded of often. She was a diver in college and did well because no one could see her face. I think all of us have endured a period in our life in which we wanted to just disappear. Running away is a dream for many. Vida takes this idea to a third world country. Where she lost me is in all the fraud the narrator engaged in within 3 days of arriving!

I listened to the audio narrated by Xe Sands. She did a great job.

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Moving On

The name, The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty,
comes from a Rumi poem which basically deals with becoming something else… moving beyond “the sad edge of surf” to the “sound of no shore” – moving beyond earthly sorrows and into…. something else. That is what the book is about: change.

"The Diver’s Clothes Lying Empty"

"You are sitting here with us,
but you are also out walking in a field at dawn.
You are yourself the animal we hunt
when you come with us on the hunt.
You are in your body
like a plant is solid in the ground,
yet you are wind.
You are the diver’s clothes
lying empty on the beach.
You are the fish.
In the ocean are many bright strands
and many dark strands like veins that are seen
when a wing is lifted up.
Your hidden self is blood in those,
those veins that are lute strings
that make ocean music,
not the sad edge of surf
but the sound of no shore."
Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks


And the cover art refers, also, to becoming something else, referring to a passage at the very end of the book: “ You see an intricate keyhole-shaped arch that leads into the ruins of the royal palace. …You watch as one woman enters through the arch, and another exits.” More references to becoming someone or something else, since the main character begins as one woman and ends as another.

I loved how the author has one character discuss the theory of “radical evolution,” which is basically evolution forced by a change in circumstance, and how it then ends up applying to the woman in the story, and how it could apply to any of us. Again, change is the main idea here.

Also having to do with the idea of change is the way clothing plays a part in the main character’s identity. The author challenges the reader to think about how clothing defines us.

I found myself thinking of the main character in The Woman Upstairs. Both that woman and the protagonist in this book feel invisible, and both are devoted to people who mis-use them. In the same way as in The Woman Upstairs, people online are criticizing the protagonist for her poor choices. I find that idea misguided, since the whole point is not the quality of her choices, but how she changes as the book progresses. I loved the protagonist, in spite of her choices. The beauty of the book is how Vida makes those choices believable to the reader. Even if I wouldn’t make those choices, the reader becomes convinced that the woman in this book would - even when they are poor choices.

I did guess what is revealed at the very end: what the protagonist’s sister had done to her back home in her past life. But I did NOT guess the very end in Morocco. I WAS dying to find out! The author did a great job of building suspense. I actually thought MAYBE the protagonist would end up with a certain businessman, BUT that would have been way too sappy and overly romantic and wouldn’t fit with the idea of growth and change, so I’m actually glad it didn’t happen that way.

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8 people found this helpful

The reader of this book is wonderful.

The story becomes a bit improbable after a certain point but it's still interesting. I had the feeling the writer couldn't figure our how to end the book so it sort of drifted to a conclusion. A page turner.

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2nd Person!!!

It was odd listening in the second person. I really like the story, and it made me want more of it.

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great writing

great writing, no story arc. will be the first to buy a book from her when she has a story to tell.

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Hooked

A perfect companion on a busy Saturday of solitary errands and chores for a "grass widow". It hit the spot for piquing my interest and
keeping me hooked. I don't want to add a spoiler but this is provoked questions about self-discovery.

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1 person found this helpful

Made me too anxious to finish

My book club selected to read this and I cannot imagine why. Couldn’t finish it. If you like a book where a woman is stuck in another culture at the mercy of men who are in power and have no sympathy, then this is your book. I don’t get the 3rd person narrative either. Sure there is a reason. Nope can’t recommend it.

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Masterful storytelling

This is a very interesting book and a good read. At first I was a little thrown by the “you” instead of first or third person narration, but it all worked. My book club read it and we all enjoyed the way the story unfolds and learning more about the protagonist and her journey.

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Keep listening

The narrator's cadence was irritating at first, but if you keep listening you'll see why... Completely appropriate! Great story and great listen!

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1 person found this helpful

Would make a great movie

Would you try another book from Vendela Vida and/or Xe Sands?

yes

Would you recommend Diver's Clothes Lie Empty to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes I would.

Was Diver's Clothes Lie Empty worth the listening time?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Interesting book. The author paints a very vivid picture which draws you into the acton. the main flaws are in her constant use of 2nd person perspective and the way most of the characters don't have names, just descriptions. I grew tired of hearing "the popular American actress" I think her purpose was to make the reader feel as though they are in the story, but other factors(constant bad decisions, gender specific backstory) easily break the illusion. Last but not least. the plot goes nowhere and leaves you wanting to know more. It seems more like a screenplay or storyboard for a great movie or tv series.

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