Gold Dust

I thought the novel Gold Dust was an interesting book. The main character, Ukhayyad, seemed like he was a very awkward man. In the beginning, he has all of these tremendous dreams of what he will do with his camel, but they come crashing down around him while he is trying to prove what a wonderful animal he has. The same thing happens when Ukhayyad has dreams of flirting with women, but then his camel ruins the moment because of a fight the camel has with another over a female. Ukhayyad has an undying love for his camel and it shows, not only in the way he treats his camel, but in his other relationships where he has put the camel above anyone or anything else. I was reading Ashley's blog about this novel and I totally agree. It does remind me of how friends of mine are with their own horses. A few girls I know would do anything for their animals, spend enormous amounts of money so these animals are happy. Its a difficult thing for me to understand because I have never felt that kind of love for an animal. But maybe in the same ways it's similar to a relationship with a human. To find an animal you make a connection with, that does not judge and accepts you for who you are. Maybe if one can find it in a person, they can find it in an animal as well. However, I think for Ukhayyad, his love for the camel has become so huge it does not allow him to make any connections with humans, especially women. "He despised women because, now, he looked at things with his eyes rather than his heart; and as his feelings melted into cool reason, Ayur's magic began to dissipate." I always think there is an issue when something becomes so important to a person they began to lose out on important and necessary human connections. I hope that Ukhayyad realizes what is happening because of his love for this camel.