Koolaids: The Art of War is a novel by Rabih Alameddine, an author and painter who lives in both San Francisco and Beirut. He grew up in the Middle East, in Kuwait and Lebanon. Published in 1998, Koolaids is Alameddine's first novel. The majority of the story takes place in San Francisco and Beirut, the sites of two very different "wars". San Francisco from the mid-1980s into the 1990s is the main site of the AIDS epidemic, especially among the gay community, while Beirut is the site of a brutal civil war.
Plot summary The novel deals with issues such as the AIDS epidemic, sex, the Lebanese civil war, death, and the meaning of life. It is a postmodern novel told from the point of view of numerous narrators. Koolaids breaks from the traditional novel style in that the whole book is a non-linear narrative. Koolaids is written in a creative style, with short paragraphs and sentences that have deep meanings. In fact, the whole novel is a series of short sections, or vignettes. Each vignette is part of a stream of consciousness from one of the multiple narrators. The different types of vignettes include diary entries, e-mails, newspaper articles, holy texts/prayers, and dialogues to name a few. Also, there is a multitude of characters who make quick appearances in different spots throughout the novel. The randomness and fragments of thought add to the overall theme of chaos, and the meaninglessness of everything in life. The main sub-themes of the novel are death, AIDS, war, art, and violence. The novel also offers narratives on the inadequate representation of the realities of AIDS and the Lebanon civil war in the mass media. Alameddine achieves this by citing fictional examples told from the first person point of view on the exploitation of the sick and the disregard for human life in war. These examples help reflect the insufficiency of monolithic narratives of AIDS and war. Often, people's harrowing personal experiences are not accounted for in the news or in history books. Alameddine's central purpose for this novel is to portray the meaninglessness of life and to show that the only thing that is certain in life is death.
Characters In Koolaids, Rabih Alameddine includes numerous characters that are connected through a series of short narrations. There are four main narrators, Mohammad, Samir, Samir's mother, and Kurt, that the readers are introduced to. The narrations seem to be laid out sporadically because Alameddine alternates between each of these four, and they are not given in chronological order. He also includes several subplots and various vignettes. Although the narrators are the main characters of the book, there are several dialogues in which celebrities interact with gods from other cultures. These correspond to the randomness of the passages well. A recurring trend with most of the characters is that they die throughout the course of this novel; the main causes of death being AIDS or the violence of the war. None of Alameddine's characters have ever existed, and as a confirmation, the author did state, “I anticipate readers who will imagine characters herein to correspond to real persons. They do not. Everything is a creation of my twisted imagination” (vii).
Narrators Mohammad: Arguably the main narrator of the four in this book. His narration is the first of the four narrators the reader encounters in the beginning, and also the last of the four at the end of the story. Other characters view him as a man with a sense of humor and a dynamic personality. He is a talented, famous Lebanese-American artist that has been diagnosed with the HIV/AIDS virus. Mohammad is a gay character that uses his talent of painting to cope with the war and other conflicts that he faces in his life. He creates both abstract and realistic works, but the book focuses mainly on his paintings of the villages in Lebanon. He is the only character that directly communicates with the reader at times in his narrations, allowing the audience to assume that it is indeed him that is the backbone of the novel. For example, there are several instances in which he talks about wanting to write a book. “When I first started seeing my friends die, I wanted to write a book where all the characters died in the beginning, say in the first twenty-five pages or so” (18). Through this quote, the reader can infer that Alameddine created Mohammed as a character that is somewhat in his image. Samir Bashar: Samir's full name is Emir Samir Basil Bashar. He was also a gay character that was born in Washington, D.C. and has been infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. He is of Lebanese descent and moved to Beirut soon after his birth until he went to college in France, then returned to Washington, D.C. for graduate school. Through his narrative, it seems as though he is focused mainly on his individual identity, his prized national identity, and finding the meaning of his life and life in general. Samir's Mother: A Lebanese woman who lives in Beirut, and whose contribution to this book is her diary entries. Though she remains nameless, one can assume that she is Samir's mother because of the events that she addresses in her entries, and the countless times in which she refers to Samir. Her story is one of the few that, though the entries are sporadic, remains in chronological order. Her main focus is generally of the violence, death, and war that affect her and her family and also the AIDS virus that is having a major impact on her son. Alameddine introduces her as a compassionate individual who engages the readers through introducing controversial issues and posing poignant questions. Kurt: A gay character that has a positive view on his life and a firm belief in an afterlife. He has also been a victim of the HIV/AIDS virus. After being diagnosed with this virus, other characters noted a change in his personality. He took up painting and searched desperately for Mohammad's approval of his work. It wasn't until he experienced the pain of his mother passing away that Mohammad felt that he had talent and he soon became a well-respected artist as well.
Characters in Dialogues These dialogues between famous people from different cultures take place four different times throughout the novel. In each of these dialogues, there are six characters that appear every time, Arjuna, Krsna, Eleanor Roosevelt, Krishnamurti, Julio Cortázar, and Tom Cruise. Other characters that are seen in these dialogues are Jesus, Mame Dennis, and Jalaleddine Rumi. The main theme of each of these dialogues is the search for the meaning of life. Before each of the dialogues, the same phrase appears, “An hour later. Arjuna and his charioteer, Krsna, on the battlefield. They are now joined by Eleanor Roosevelt, Krishnamurti, Julio Cortázar, and Tom Cruise, who looks a little lost” (37). Arjuna- Hindu warrior prince from the Mahābhārata. His major dilemma is regarding the purpose of war. His character closely relates to the book because he is constantly in search of the meaning of life and war, much like Alameddine's main theme throughout the novel. Krsna- Arjuna's charioteer who guided him and provided him with spiritual teachings through a war. Eleanor Roosevelt- (1884–1962) Wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945.
Krishnamurti- (1895–1986) Full name is Jiddu Krishnamurti. He is well known for his philosophies regarding the mind and human relationships. Julio Cortázar- (1914–1984) Argentine writer whose writing style is similar to Alameddine's in that it is known to “follow the logic of hallucinations and obsessions.” Recurring themes in his works are identity and reality. Cortázar is mentioned one other time in the novel (pages 105–107) where the author is having a conversation with him, and the reader is able to see how Alameddine feels that he relates to Cortázar. Tom Cruise- A celebrity who, in this novel, seemed to take on a role as being lost and somewhat unaware in the dialogues. Jesus- A prominent spiritual figure in several different religions. His role in these dialogues is to represent other religions that claim to have "the answer" to the meaning of life. Mame Dennis- The main character of a book by Patrick Dennis about a Bohemian woman living during the Great Depression. Alameddine uses her famous quote in one of the dialogues: "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death" (137). Jalaleddine Rumi- (1207–1273) A well-known Persian poet that was seen as a spiritual guide. His full name is Mevlana Jalaleddine Rumi, and his main teachings were of peace and tolerance. Jalaleddine Rumi is referred to one other time in the book, when Alameddine directly states, "Jaleleddine Rumi wrote much better than I ever could, in the thirteenth century no less" (159).
Other Important Characters In no particular order: Scott: Kurt's boyfriend, Mohammad's ex-boyfriend/best friend, AIDS victim Nawal: Mohammad's sister Marwa: Nawal's friend, a former neighbor from Beirut James: One of Mohammad's best friends Ben Baxter: Diagnosed with the AIDS virus and became what all characters agree to have been a bad painter Karim: Loved by Samir and was his best friend but died before any romantic relations could take place Mark: Samir's lover, also infected with HIV/AIDS Nick and Samia: the main characters of one of the very few heterosexual relations/affairs in this book. Their story is also one of the few that occurs in chronological order Georges: Lebanese man that introduced Samir to bisexuality Bashir Salaheddine: Samir's great-great uncle who supported and embraced Samir's homosexuality and confessed his being gay to Samir as well. The only time the reader is introduced to him is through his letter addressed to Samir.
Themes & Motifs
Death