What does a slacker graduate student with one of the world’s highest IQs have in common with a trapped Saudi Arabian princess? Good question. Well, not a whole lot at first, but that doesn’t stop them from coming together in one heck of a deep plot. Welcome to the world of Blink.
To begin, our main protagonist, Seth Borders, is the campus genius at UC Berkley. Coming from an abusive childhood, Seth excels more at making trouble than in furthering his studies. Conversely, our other main character is a Saudi princess named Miriam. Miriam has become exceedingly discouraged with the traditions of her country. She’s had a taste of Western freedoms through her travels. However, now back in Saudi Arabia, she’s forced back into her covered black abaaya world. Furthermore, she is being forced into a marriage to a violent man, thanks to her father, politics and Saudi customs. Fearing her impending fate, Miriam flees.
Back in the states, Seth begins having visions of future events. One such vision actually brings him together with Miriam in a university restroom, where he helps her escape capture. Thus, the race is on to save both of their lives.
In essence, Blink combines two things that Dekker does well: building plot tension along with a twist of underlying Christianity. This novel builds on these structures by combining Middle East politics and good old “cat and mouse” routines. All of this makes for a good, quick read.