Kapitoil, by Teddy Wayne, is set in New York City in 1999.  Karim Issar travels from Qatar to the U.S. to work with Schrub Equities, an investment firm, to work as a computer engineer on the Y2K bug.  (Remember all the hype around Y2K??) Karim is close with his sister, Zahira, who is in school in Qatar, but his relationship with his father is tenuous.

After just a few weeks in Manhattan, Karim invents a computer program that can predict minor rises and falls in the oil market, and the program makes Schrub Equities a fortune.

As the book progresses, Karim is befriended by his boss, Derek Schrub, whom he idolizes.  But as he gets to know Schrub better, he sees a different side of him.  During a visit, Schrub says to Karim about how he became the man he is today: “You act a certain way, … but every day there are these little shifts. … And one day you look at yourself and aren’t sure how you got there” (185).  Karim begins to question not only Mr. Schrub’s motivations and endgame, but also his own.

Karim’s advanced technical skills, predictably, do not translate into social graces.  He struggles to understand his co-workers, and he begins to fall for one of them, Rebecca. One night after a party he kisses her on the subway platform, and on Monday they exchange emails:

“Rebecca, May I request a meeting at your earliest convenience in the coffee room to discuss certain subjects?  Sincerely, Karim

Mr. Issar:  Yes, but only if we can talk like that the whole time.  See you in five minutes.
Formally yours,
Ms. Goldman”

By far the best part about this book is the language.  Karim’s voice is extremely precise, technical, and he likes to correct the grammar of women he meets in clubs.  At the end of each chapter he defines slang or idioms he has encountered.  For example, the end of one chapter reads:

“backwater = an unimportant or unsophisticated location
incinerate = burn down
jack up = inflate prices
jackass = stupid person; Dan
major-league favor = significant favor”

I’ve read a lot of post-9/11 books.  Comparatively, the atmosphere of 1999 feels like a simpler time.  Folks were more worried about Y2K than about terrorist attacks.  Fewer people had cell phones, and they weren’t attached to them the way we are today.  Seeing America through Karim’s eyes, which are both naive and experienced, intelligent yet lacking street smarts, was refreshing.

This was the first book in a very long time where I was very happy with the ending.  That’s one of the worst parts about reading–when an ending just doesn’t measure up to the rest of the book, or there’s not enough closure, or things are wrapped up a little too neatly.  There wasn’t a major twist at the end, but it fit.  It fit with the character and the tone of the book, I felt there was closure, and as a reader I was satisfied.

Check out an interview my friend Amanda at Library of my Own did with Teddy Wayne.  I especially enjoyed his discussion of the issue surrounding the mosque near Ground Zero.  I think his comments display the same intelligence and depth that the character of Karim employs in Kapitoil.