The Riddle of the Sphinx

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Pub Date 2 Apr 2019 | Archive Date 30 Jun 2019

Description

From a desperate escape on horseback out of revolutionary Iran to the glittering nightclubs of Paris, from forbidden passion in the halls of Princeton to the high-stakes drama of a New York law practice, THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX achieves the rare feat of echoing long after the last page.

A psychological drama that unfolds through the lens of alternate realities, the novel explores free will, destiny and the many guises and disguises of an individual’s identity: A young boy in the elite social circle of the royal Iranian Pahlavi court in the 1970s suffers an abrupt disruption of his privileged life when the Shah and his 2,500-year-old monarchy fall. A Princeton scholar’s promising future is derailed by an obsessive love affair. A corporate lawyer at the pinnacle of his career at a prestigious New York law firm begins to question his picture-perfect life.

Combining lyrical prose with international suspense, Montagu takes us on a dramatic journey of exile, sexual obsession and self-discovery. THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX is a literary “vipassana” that explores the workings of the human mind, revealing the transcendental and existential reality hidden behind the illusions that are a hallmark of the human condition.

From a desperate escape on horseback out of revolutionary Iran to the glittering nightclubs of Paris, from forbidden passion in the halls of Princeton to the high-stakes drama of a New York law...


Advance Praise

"Montagu's writing is lucid, polished, and serves his storytelling well. He breathes full, rich, genuine life into each of his three different worlds quite successfully. He is a fine writer, and this is a tour of milieus and situations that few of us would ever experience otherwise, by a guide who clearly knows them intimately, and communicates them evocatively."

--Jonathan Stone, author of eight thriller novels including Moving Day, The Teller, Two for the Show and Days of Night


"The Riddle of the Sphinx is a gripping, beautifully written work of fiction. It is not only a finely wrought story of a young boy's coming of age and growing into manhood,but also a story of a love affair and engagement with great literature.The protagonist, Eric, escapes Iran after the Islamic revolution, attends Princeton, and becomes a partner in a major law firm; but it is in theworks of the imagination--Proust, Baudelaire, Sophocles--that he finds true wisdom and fulfillment. If you love a good read and the classics of Western literature, you will love this novel."

-Haleh Esfandiari, author of My Prison My Home: One Woman's Captivity in Iran

"Montagu is a fiercely intelligent writer and The Riddle of the Sphinx, (and in particular, the story of the protagonist's escape from revolutionary Iran) is written with great passion and daring."

-Joseph Olshan, author of Clara's Heart and Black Diamond Fall "

A fascinating account of a young man's discovery of himself through the troubled history of his homeland and the hothouse of an Ivy League education, The Riddle of the Sphinx raises delicate issues of identity and culture among elite but no less fragile lives."

-David Bellos, Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Princeton University

"Montagu's writing is lucid, polished, and serves his storytelling well. He breathes full, rich, genuine life into each of his three different worlds quite successfully. He is a fine writer, and...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781732602106
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Featured Reviews

The riddle of the sphinx is one of the very few books that I couldn't put aside. A dramatic epic beginning in the 1970s in Iran to the western world of London, Paris and New York during a man's life. Where he explores his sexual orientation, love and life.

I would have loved to continue with the book even after the story ended. It's a must read I highly recommend buying.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book

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Well, if you enjoy a good riddle, this book is perfect ! When reading, you keep wondering who told you a couple of sentences you've just read ... And, all the events, locations, people, ring a bell in your memory ... It is so easy to read, to understand, to feel the main character is your friend, or the friend you had a couple of years ago !
As the story unfold, you are looking for the plot, where is the thread ? You thought it was like a biography, about someone born in Teheran before the end of a 2500 years old monarchy ( you'll lean so much about Iran).
Then, you are in Paris, and without knowing how, back to the USA !
But where is the travel ? Inside your mind or through the story ? Or both ? You'll know if you read the book to the end !

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I like how different this book is from others that I've read. My favorite part was the first third as I liked having a view into what happened in Iran. I also liked how the three main parts of the story were tied together so neatly at the end even though I wasn't sure how it could. I appreciate having the chance to read this book

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The Riddle of the Sphinx takes a Sliding Doors approach to telling the story of Keyvan, also known as Eric, an Iranian lawyer who now lives in New York. The book shifts from the present to Keyvan's early childhood in Iran during the 1970's. Many people may find this to be the most interesting part of the book because it delves into a subject we don't often find in American novels: the Iranian Revolution and how it impacted different classes of Iranian society.

The next section of the book explores the protagonist's college years at Princeton. Eric has a gay relationship with another student named Mark. Without getting too specific, the relationship is set up to fail. This should come to no surprise to the reader since it's clearly established early in the novel that Keyvan/Eric is married to a woman during the present time.

The last section of the book explores Eric's married life in New York. Again, without getting too specific, the book takes a Buddhist approach in its denouement. Because of this, the ending wasn't quite what I expected it to be. I'm not sure I agree with some of the choices Eric made, but I do admire the author for taking a different approach than what I had anticipated. Sometimes it's hard for writers to strike the right balance between artistry and preachiness, but I felt Montagu handled this fairly well.

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'I had so much to do this weekend and have spent most of it devouring your book. Just finished it. Sheer genius.'
A seamlessly sewn together tale of mind bending suspense and some history to boot

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Montague is a brilliant writer. He develops the two main characters in the first part of the book so that you really get to know them from their male adolescent point of view at a difficult time in the history of Iran. In the next part of the book he writes about two students who are drawn to each other while attending Princeton University. My only complaint about this novel is that the sexual encounters are too vividly written, leaving nothing to the imagination.

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This is a fantastic,challenging and beautifully written book. It starts and ends with the life of a successful New York lawyer who may be professionally esteemed but is internally not at peace. In between there is a superb description of the effect on his family and others of the .Iranian revolution and their efforts to escape. At Princeton as a student,Eric as he is now known,has difficulties accepting his sexual preferences and the homeoerotic chapters are sensitively and elegantly written. Now married,he eventually seeks internal peace but does he find it? This is quite simply a masterpiece.

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As with its title Riddle, the book is divided into three sections that present the life of a man from a privileged childhood in Iran in the late 1970's, through young manhood in Princeton in the 80's, culminating in experience as a successful corporate lawyer as an adult. This has been called a "sliding door" novel, in that alternate outcomes have been constructed, and the less than smooth transitions between "lives" is the only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5. The writing is lush, and of particular interest is the first, the part about Keyvan's growing up in Tehran, with much of the history of that turbulent time explained clearly and with relevance to the proceedings. Keyvan's transformation into Eric caused me some confusion at first, as I hadn't read other reviews which explained the concept of the book. Here a more scholarly approach, with a great deal being included, again with relevance, concerning Eric's pursuit of Proust and his own sexual awakening. Montagu is clever in his treatment, and I don't agree with other reviewers' opinions of the ending. It ended the way it had to.

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“The Riddle of the Sphinx” is a riveting, exquisitely written account of a young man's exploration of himself through the unsettled history of his native land. It is not only a finely elaborated story of a love affair but also a story of a young boy's courage and growth into manhood. A very well-written book that engages and perplexes the reader. Thank you NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

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My rating:
Story: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Review:
The book tells the story of an Iranian man from an advantaged background at 3 different points in his life. The first part is set in the 1970’s and sees the man as a boy looking to escape the Iranian Revolution. The second part follows him during his student years at Princeton, struggling with his sexuality. Finally in the third and final part, the man is an adult and works as a lawyer who at first glance appears successful and content but reading on you soon find out that life is not as it appears to be, he in fact questions his life, achievements and happiness.
The book is well written and based on an interesting: “sliding door” alternative outcomes concept. This made the book interesting and different. The first part of the book set in Iran during the Revolution is fascinating as it gives you a relevant inside into Iranian culture and a historical overview of that part of Iranian history. Which I found was the most interesting part of the book. The ending of the book wasn’t what I expected. I also found it ended a little bit abrupt but overall I thought the concept of the book was refreshing and I enjoyed reading it.

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Alexandre Montagu's Riddle of the Sphinx is a narrative that is built like a mirrored triptych. Each of the three parts embodies a part of the ancient riddle of the Sphinx and develops a part of the protagonist's life. The parts, separately and combined, cast complicated shadows and illuminations on the other parts and on the whole. The thought-provoking narrative is realistic and detailed, as well as eloquently and authentically expressed. It is presented as three separate stages of life with unexplained gaps in between. The passages of time and place, the differing maturities, and the abrupt changes of focus often seemed to be separate stories instead of one person experiencing such diverse experiences.

The first part is about Kayvan, a child of privilege in Tehran, Iran during the waning days of the Shah's reign and the rise to power of the ayatollahs. I was most impacted by the contrast between the child's naivety and the historical account. I often thought as I read "I remember these events being reported in the news" and that this child was getting the entire emotional impact but, with only partial understanding, tried to piece together meaning of events that happened in his life.

The second part of the book is about a student at Princeton, Eric (who changed his name from Kayvan when he left Iran for the west) who is struggling with developing personal relationships with others, with bisexual feelings and same-sex attraction, and with an emotionally overwhelming clandestine love affair, as well as with defining himself in a confusing world, all while studying French Literature and trying to decide what kind of life and career to pursue. Often, the narration in each of these sections seems like a heart-to-heart conversation of private conflicting thoughts at critical times in the protagonist's life so he can talk it out and come to some kind of closure. He leave a lot of parts of the puzzle unsolved. There is confusing disparity between what happens, or appears to happen, in Eric's life and how hechooses to see it.

The third part of the narrative is a mature, older and wiser character who has gone to law school, gained wealth, and is a married father of children, becoming philosophical about all the things that shaped his life. He seems to be having an internal conversation and wrestling match with many ideas of world literature and philosophy - among them his childhood family culture, classic stoicism, French literature, Bhuddist philosophy, free-will vs. predestination, and blind luck - to explain the development of his life and success. Large areas of contradictions, of serendipity, and of blank areas in his account tend to add to, rather than detract from, the questioning and the message of the narrative. All in all, this is one of those "books that make you think." It's a book where the jury is still out at the end and it makes you wonder whether Eric is being completely honest in his life story and whether you can trust what he says about his life and about Life in general.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers who want to ponder or discuss "big ideas." I think it would be an excellent book to read and discuss with friends or in a bookclub. It might cause conflicting opinions and clarifying discussions about what the book says and about what it leaves out.

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"The Riddle of the Sphinx" is a very well written book. I had not heard of the sliding doors approach until I read the reviews on this book after I finished the book. It worked until the ending. I really enjoyed the first two sections with the history of Iran, although I thought at times it read like a text book. I also enjoyed his time at Princeton. I think the ending could be a bit more realistic and not just have to tie everything up into a bow. Not many people turn over a new leaf after years of marriage and a high pressure job.

The book is very thought provoking. As I was thinking about this review, how could my life been different if different choices would have been made. At first I thought I did not escape a country in revolution, I did not make a choice between gay/straight, AIDs was not a big worry, career/marriage. However, I thought about it some more and there were many things that I could have chosen one path over another and my life would not be the same life that I have today.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley for a honest review.

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Riddle of the sphinx by Aleixandre Montagu
This is an amazing read. We begin with Eric who is a partner in a New York legal firm. How did he get there and who is he?
His story begins with the fall of the Shah of Iran and the incredible power vacuum that this caused. Eric’s mother is an Iranian princess and there is a choice, do they stay or run?
Every life has turning points and there are different paths we can take. We see two versions of the events and do not fully grasp the truth until Eric’s vision towards the end explains why he avoided being blown up in Iran and how he didn’t catch aids in 1990s New York. His sexual obsession with Mark could have been a disaster but instead it just fizzled out. Like a work by Proust who Eric greatly admires he is on an exploration of self discovery.
The author delves into myths, legends and the human desire for truth and enlightenment to weave this story into an epic tale.We just have to remember that In Greek legend, the Sphinx asks "What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?" The hero Oedipus gave the answer, "Man," Aleixandre Montagu used this question as the framework for Eric’s story.

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I found this book in NetGalley when I was browsing for a book that I could read and review. It’s the words in the title “Riddle” and “Sphinx” that drew me to the book. I’m a huge fan of Egyptian Mythology and assumed this book had something to do with ancient Egyptian tales. Although I was slightly disappointed to learn when I read the blurb that it had nothing to do with ancient Egypt or Mythology, I was hooked to the book from chapter 1 and the story that the author was beginning to say!

The book is divided into three sections with the first section about the Main Character’s (MC) privileged childhood among the royals and elites of 1970s Iran. The second section talks about the character’s transition into a young man who goes to Princeton and how he finds his sexuality and how it impacts him and his relationships. And the final section talks of the MC’s successful career as a corporate lawyer in NYC and how he comes to a realization of his life’s realities. He finds Buddhism that ultimately helps him want to live his life in full.

I was initially a little confused about the transition from the first section to the second where the MC goes from being Kevyan from Iran to Eric from France. It bothered me for a while until I read further into the section and understood the reasoning for the transition. I found Section I of the book very engaging as the author describes the lifestyle of the elites in the royal circle and how drastically their lives changed during the revolution. The parts they were trying to escape from Iran and the trials and tribulations that came with it was agony inducing.

I truly enjoyed and was intrigued by the book up until the very end. I, personally, was not too happy with how the author chose to end the book. The author claims that it was Buddhism that helped the MC choose the path he took in the climax, however, Buddhism also teaches a person to be true to himself. That makes me wonder if the climax was maybe contradictory? Just my thought, others may differ.

One aspect of the book that I must point out is the writing. The author has excellent writing skills and definitely had potential to do even better going forward! The usage of Iranian and French Prose/Poetry and Quotes was interesting as well.

In closing, even though this is not a genre that I particularly enjoy, I found Alexandre Montagu’s book to be an interesting and engaging read. I would definitely recommend adding it to your reading collection, especially if you enjoy psychological dramas.

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What a fabulous tale of a boy escaping to manhood, while at the same time escaping from one world to another, in more ways than one. Every page was full of beautiful picturesque prose that kept me enthralled to the very end.

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Because I did not know that this book was ordered on the premises of alternate realities, I initially found the Riddle of the Sphinx a bit confusing. The characters were very finely developed, the background of mixed cultures of Iran felt authentic and were described in language that was richly prosaic. I was fascinated by the lives of the characters in Iran, Paris, and Princeton but was distracted trying to figure out the relationships between the characters in the segments. When it finally dawned on me that the construct of the book was around shifting or alternate realities, it was as if a light turned on and everything made sense. This novel has tremendous depth and a keen understanding of how societal mores dictate one’s life path, or in this case lives paths. Riddle of the Sphinx was beautifully written and certainly psychologically revelatory of times and cultures very different from my life experiences. It was the most intellectually challenging novel I’ve read in quite some time. I consider it worthy of the categorization of literary fiction rather than simple fiction.

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Very interesting subject matter, told in an intricate manner that could have been confusing or disorienting, but ends up making perfect sense. The characters and their choices/problems feel real, and the locations are superb (in different time frames) - Iran, Paris, USA.

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I learned a great deal from reading this book. The author lays out the historical events that affect the present-day plot and characters, helping the reader make sense of the characters' motivations and actions.

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Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

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I absolutely loved this book. From the outset it drew me in. I enjoyed how it jumped between different worlds using the same or similar characters. In places it perfectly captures young love and infatuation. An enjoyable and engaging read that also was informative about Iran pre and post Shah rule as well as the Ivy League in America. I would love to read more by this author.

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How do I begin a review of a novel that kept me captive from page one and didn’t release me until the very end? I didn’t want to break for work, family, friends, or anything. How can I do this book justice? Dear readers, I will try.

Eric (Keyvan) fled Iran as a child during the Islamic revolution and grew up in Paris. He later studied Comparative Literature at Princeton. That is one scenario. What would have happened if he was forced to stay in Iran? So much of one’s life (or death) is determined by a single decision or act made by either the individual or at the hands of someone else.

As a young boy he questioned his sexuality, but at Princeton he knew what he wanted…Mark. He was so obsessed with him that he couldn’t see any of the warning signs or even the bigger picture.


Whether it was an analysis of Proust’s La Recherche, or Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, Eric could discern the flaws of the characters and the reasons for their ultimate downfall, but he was unable to see this in his own life.

Now as a high-priced New York attorney in a loveless marriage, at age forty-four he is reevaluating his life and the decisions he has made. That is another scenario.

The Riddle of the Sphinx provides several possible outcomes and we keep asking ourselves, “What if…?” Though author Alexandre Montagu does get philosophical, he doesn’t belabor the points. That is, you can enjoy the story simply on its own.

Montagu provides an intelligent story-line without compromising the human or emotion. At all times he is completely aware of the unawareness of his characters. Each one is deftly portrayed, and the images are vivid.

We learn of the history of twentieth-century Iran and how it contributed to Eric’s identity. Events are described in detail, but they’re never mundane, whether from a personal or historical perspective.

There are so many layers to The Riddle of the Sphinx that it would be a perfect book club read. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the best book I have read in a long time.

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This was an interesting read for me. I enjoyed the story and was intrigued by the different culture. On the one hand, I loved that being so central to the story and it drew me in but on the other hand, it also became a bit too bogged down with details for someone unfamiliar with the nuances of the Middle East. Maybe if it were told in a less professorial way, it would have been easier to take in as part of the book as a whole. I think it took away from the flow of the plot instead of what I would imagine the intention was, which would be to inform Westerners about a different culture and that perspective. I think several of the storylines in the narrative were absolutely well-intended and needed voices in Western literature today and I do appreciate the effort.
Overall, my positive experience with this outweighs my negatives, so I would recommend this to other readers.

#TheRiddleOfTheSphinx #NetGalley

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The Riddle of the Sphinx by Alexandre Montagu was given to me thru Net Galley for an honest review. The Riddle of the Sphinx was truly a unique, wonderful, thrilling, and at times, heartbreaking novel. When first meeting Keyvan, we get the backdrop of the dramatic change in Iran. Keyvan and his family flee out of Iran, as he tries to navigate thru the changes around him, he must also learn to navigate his own heart. The next chapter in this wondrous book, Eric is an undergraduate at Princeton University. Eric tries to put aside of the uneasiness of the sexual feelings that he has for one of his classmates, and no longer can brush them aside. Eric understands that how he feels is normal, despite the fact others feel they must hide them (their sexuality) for it is forbidden for them to love someone of the same sex. The third chapter in The Riddle of the Sphinx, Eric has a very secure job with a very prestigious law firm, but beneath all of that, he is not truly who he is suppose to be. Once again, Eric is fighting against himself, but he is hurting the very people around him, including himself. Eric's journey continues with him realizing that he should not punish himself for the way he feels, his choices(or the lack there of), and take it out on the very people around him. I love this book because it pulls at me, it challenges me, not to mention the underlying meanings within the book. Thank you Alexandre Montagu for writing this novel, and taking me on Eric's journey.

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Absolutely brilliant book, the best first-time read for a while. Very well written, not a dull moment, and ended up being a very different story than it felt throughout. Mesmerising!

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