The Gendarme
By Mark T. Mustian
New York: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam’s Sons: 294 pp.
Publication Date: Sept. 2, 2010
Price: $25.95
It’s April 1990. Ninety two-year-old Emmett Conn—an “American,” father, grandfather, and widower—has a pea-size brain tumor at the base of his left parietal lobe, which leaves him plagued with persistent dreams animated by deaths, murders, and marches. In his waking life, Conn is perceived as a patient standing at the edge of senility. But he soon realizes that these dreams are fragments of a memory long lost…
***
Seriously injured at the battle of Gallipoli, a Turkish soldier, Ahmet Khan, was mistaken for a British soldier and taken to a military hospital in London. After a lengthy hospital stay and with the bulk of his memory lost, Ahmet marries Carol, an American nurse, moves to America (first New York, then Wadesboro, Georgia), and fathers two daughters, Violet and Lissette.
Seventy five years later, his memories begin to trickle back into his consciousness through his dreams, and Emmett Conn relives the past when he was Ahmet Khan, a Turkish gendarme in charge of one of the Armenian deportee caravans that made its way through desert, through pillage, death, and disease. He relives his role in the Armenian Genocide, and remembers falling in love with Araxie, one of the deportees.
As his love for Araxie intensifies, Ahmed Khan begins to change. Once an unflinching murderer and rapist, he chooses to protect the handful of surviving deportees.
Mustian doesn’t tip-toe around the more gruesome and disturbing aspects of the genocide, depicting the mutilations, murders, and rapes.
Aside from the vivid and powerful prose, the gripping plot, and his talent to invoke a feel of times and places long erased, Mustian, through the lens of his rebellious protagonist, comments not only on the various injustices, exclusions, prejudices, and discriminations that were present in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, but also those present in America in the 1990’s.
The Gendarme is a remarkable work of fiction, a good read for a book club. Read and discuss.
Nanore Barsoumian
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The cover page of the book is absolutely beautiful. I wonder if the girl on the cover is Armenian…
The book sounds fantastic… Congratulations to the author for completing this work…
Hope to read it soon.
Gayane
Why am I not surprised about the content of this book? After reading the first paragraph of the review article, I thought this might be an interesting book. But, as usual, the typical mantra that we’ve all heard ad nauseum, pops up its head by the second paragraph. Again, why am I not surprised?!!
If you expect the world to deny the Armenian Genocide like you do Robert, you will forever remain disappointed.
Robert, like it or not the genocide is an integral part of our culture. This one of the impacts of such a devastation on our people….. it is reflected in our literature and Tuirkish denial only serve as a further motivation. It is a silent commitment we all make to our parents, grandparents and our future generations to never forget and to work for the good of our people.
The genocide was about the tragedy of innocent people and the insanity of power. There are many stories that have been told and many more to write. If you don’t like it, then help to end the denial and perhaps you will find topics to your liking.
Dear Robert, the reason why you are not surprised about the content of this magnificent book is because you actively deny what you know very well to be true. The Armenian Genocide is a fact of history and I hope it haunts you to the very end of your days.
Good day to you.
Robert, I have ordered this book and will read it. The story of a man who suffers amnesia for his part in the Armenian Genocide only to regain his memory in haunting dreams and flashbacks in the declining days of his life will help me gain insight into how an entire nation can forget its horrible past. I look forward to finding out how he will come to terms with this past and gain the forgiveness that he seeks before he dies. It is a shame you have already dismissed it as “the typical mantra that we’ve all heard ad nauseum.” I hope some Turks more open-minded than you will read this book too and learn the healing power of admitting a wrong and saying sorry.
The article in French:
http://armeniantrends.blogspot.com/2010/08/mark-t-mustian.html
Normally I don’t make any comments, I just read them. But why is it that a character like ‘Robert’ has to recieve so much attention by Armenians. Everytime a turk makes an absurd comment, many Armenians jump at the opportunity to defend their position. These people are playing psychological games to steal your valuable time and creating confusion. They DON’T deserve an answer or explanation or attention. We know exactly what happened, and we don’t need to explain anything to an ignorant Turk….they KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. So just ignore him, he’ll go away.
I get your point Sarkis, but I don’t think ignoring him will make him go away. The evidence points to the contrary. But it is good to be reminded that Armenians should use their time wisely in keeping the pressure on Turkey.
Baron Sarkis,
If we don’t defend oursleves and our history from
low life revisionists like Robert et al who will?
I believe your attitude is shared by the older generation. The new generation
Doesn’t tolerate such intolerance and is willing to put up a good fight rather than sitting mekely
Silence.
Robert, Murat and their kind will never go away.. even though I agree with Sarkis that they dont’ deserve our words, thoughts and time because I see them nothing but devil’s children.. and I dispise Devil and his doings… I still think by counterarguing their absurd and i have to comical comments with more intelligent and educated responses will show the world that no matter how much they try, they will NEVER WIN… as they don’t have the capability nor the brain knowledge to accept what is true, justice and righteous…
I praise the LORD that we have open minded Turks like I teoman and few others with whom I had the pleasure communicating through these pages.. and i have hope that people like them increase in numbers day after day.. and people like Robert and his kind will decrease in numbers.. I know it will happen.. it is only a matter of time…
God Bless…
Gayane
P.S I will be ordering the book myself…
Sarkis raised an interesting point but I’m afraid the elephant in the room is the past 95 years of continued genocide denial by the Turkish government that continues to encourage and celebrate the despicable actions of people like Robert. I also do think the older generation was more inclined to be ‘soos poos’ about our cause partly because they were so close to its immediate tangible repercussions. Times are a changen though! Its time to pick up your proverbial pen (or keyboard!) Sarkis and join the battle. We need more articulate writers like yourself on these online threads to share your thoughts and help defend our collective cause.
Ungeragun cherm parevnerov.
To all of those who have posted,
First, everyone is entitiled to their opinion. Whether or not I agree with your opinions, I respect your rights to have and voice them. Please reciprocate in kind. Your editorial board has this “thing” about censoring and then deleting many of my posts (I’d say only 25% of my posts are allowed). Second, I have actually come to know some of you more personally as time progresses. Some of you are actually quite nice, well mannered and educated (there’s a Dr. Sylvia who composes poems. She’s very good and talented! Although I may not always agree, I look forward to reading her poems and enjoy her prose). There are a few who can be insultive at times. Thankfully, none of you resort to vulgarity as they do on other sites.
You know, we’ve lived together in peace for five centuries. Let’s all, at the very least, meet each other 1/2 way.I doubt if there’s anyone with a normal mentation on the planet who would deny that no Armenian lost their lives during WWI. Of course there were many, many deaths. But by the same token, there were also many, many deaths of others as well. Do we at least agree on this point? Every nation and ethnicity has good and bad people. This is not a reflection on an entire nation!
If we can all agree on the above points, then I’ll come back and we can continue to move forward. It’s going to be a step by step process, and won’t be resolved overnight. But, if we can all get past one obstacle/sticking point, we can then move on to the next level. I believe that over time, we can reach some key agreements. If we can do this civilly, on an internet site, then we should be able to extrapolate this to where the same can be done on a global geopolitical scale. I firmly believe this. Think about it amongst yourselves. I shall await what the general concensous is and take it from there.
My dear commentators…
I doubt Sarkis wrote what he wrote because he has an older generation mentality.. we don’t even know his age..:) But I understand his frustration and annoyance…
I believe all he is saying is they are not worth our time…and I agree with him…but i can’t help myself …have to say something to such “wrong” and ignorant individuals like Roberts and Murats of our world..they need to know they are wrong and evil. the only way we can TRY to help them (if this is even an option) is by penship, by words..as i am sure if Robert had the slightest oppotunity to attack an Armenian, he will do it…We also know Armenians are not and can’t and will never be Genocidal or barbaric as Robert’s and his kinds’ ancestors…
God Bless
Gayane
Robert,
First of all… I definintely understand as to why your posts get blocked because I myself read many of your comments.. and they are absolutely Genocidal and VERY Anti-ARmenian…and you have the balls to stand in front of us and tell us to treat you fairly and nicely? Are you for real????
Secondly, I DO NOT agree with you… Armenian just did not die during WWI as you stated… 1.5 million Armenians were deliberately slaughtered, and murdered in the most barbaric manner.. innocent people.. MY ANCESTORS.. and YOUR country and YOUR ancestors did this.. and what your ancestors did is called GENOCIDE..you do know the word right? and you do know the REAL HISTORY? we are not talking about just WWI’s lost souls… so until you agree and acknowledge that you and your kind along with your govt should and need to apologize PUBLICLY and OPENLY for this horrific Genocide, and then your govt should and need to work on repaying everyone who lost their wealth and property because their ancestors were murdered in cold blood, you will not receive the treatment that you wish to get..and until you and your kind along with your govt admit that history means nothing to Turkey and the only thing they worry about is the lands, which makes Turkey pays millions of dollars annually to cover up their bloody past, nothing will happen and no movement will take place….
SO NO Robert.. I don’t agree with you .. until you agree with the above points.. we will not be about to get past on the obstalces as you suggested………sir.
Have yourself good night and space of good conscious and understanding
Gayane
Hello to you all – I know whoever this Robert is, will read my comments. Armenians were not killed as a result of WWI…the current Turkish Government is doing a good job confusing their own people, all deniers must understand this. They will be better educated if they read their history from l915-23 and beyond, which period has been removed from their history textbooks. When that is done, then we will not be wasting the ink of our laptops.Do not mix apples and oranges… what our people underwent was systematically planned genocide by the ancestors of Robert.
We have heard enough of elementary simplified reasonings, “if you do this and if you do that…”
As some of the commenters have said, and I repeat, “we know our history VERY well” What remains you do the same, and real fast.
Robert, listen to your inner voice and perhaps invest a few hours talking to your grandparents, they may open up a book for you to write, Be brave and do it… Thanks.
Dear Robert your new conciliatory tone changes little. Armenians suffered a genocide as a result of pan-turanic fanaticism and the policies of deportation, massacre and inhumane disregard of the suffering of innocent men, women and children. You want us to make nice-nice with Turks while Turks continue to deny the truth of their responsibility in the utter disappearance of the Armenians from Asia Minor. This is an untenable bargain. First Turkey must admit the truth. I think your claims of censorship are exaggerated.
Also Robert, Armenians did not “live in peace” for 500 years with Turks but rather they lived in subservient acquiescence to their oppressive conquerors. You have a very strange interpretation of history. I’m not suggesting that individual Turks and Armenians didn’t befriend each other or help each other, but in the end the CUP policy revealed the true nature of this “peace”
So this is what the roberts of this world sound like when their down on one leg begging for mercy. Pathetic. The zealot side in him dies down and a new reconciliatory robert emerges when he realizes he has an audience…
You think we don’t know your game pal??? We lived with your kind for century’s. Grow up and face the truth like a man!
Gayanne, love that passion!