Nude Walker

BOOK: Nude Walker

AUTHOR: Bathsheba Monk

GRADE: A-

In what is one of the best books I’ve read this month, Bathsheba Monk has written a lyrically beautiful and heart wrenchingly moving novel that tugs on heart strings while making the reader notice, analyze and reassess core beliefs on race, gender, love and war. As though that wasn’t enough, Nude Walker tells an insanely complicated story in a language that is relatable and understandable to all. Literature like this reminds me on a visceral level why I want to be a writer. And for that, I thank you Ms. Monk.

The heart of Monk’s novel is the relationship between Kat Warren-Bineki and Max Asad – a modern day Romeo and Juliet tale. Kat’s the daughter of old industrialists and Max is the son of prominent Lebanese family. Both served in the National Guard and a love affair sprung up between them; much to the dismay of all. Most especially, Kat’s long time boyfriend Duck Wolinsky.

Kat and Duck have been pegged for each other for as long as either can remember. They’ve seen each other through thick and thin – both coming from unstable home lives. Kat’s mother is seriously mentally ill and prone to naked walks through the neighborhood (hence the title) and Duck’s family is crazy in it’s own way. They very quickly adopted an “us against the world” attitude and a romance seemed the next logical step. But while logging hours in the National Guard, Kat falls for the Lebanese Max Asad.

Nude Walker is a refreshing look at race and class. Monk manages to weave the tensions between Americans and Middle Easterns into every crevice of this novel. It’s done in a way that transcends everything else out there. Truly an amazing novel and worth reading for sure. You will not regret it – tak