skygiants: Clopin from Notre-Dame de Paris throwing his hands up in the air (clopin says wtfever)
[personal profile] skygiants
Season of Migration to the North was a birthday gift from [personal profile] aberration, and I went into it knowing almost nothing about it -- for once, I managed to actually do the sensible thing and skip over the introduction, even though this is always a painful thing to do. (Yes, introductions spoil everything, but . . . THEY'RE IN THE FRONT! THAT MEANS THEY COME FIRST! I have a really hard time not reading books straight through.)

Anyway, is about a young man comes home to his Sudanese village after studying in England and finds a stranger named Mustafa Sa'eed living there, who claims not to know English despite obvious evidence to the contrary. The narrator becomes obsessed with learning Mustafa's story; as is often the case, knowledge is a mixed blessing at best.

Mustafa Sa'eed, it turns out, was once a student at Oxford; a genius; possibly a sociopath; a representation of "exotic Africa" in the British imagination; responsible for the deaths of at least four women; the perpetrator of a crime of passion; the victim of a crime of passion; not Othello; a lie.

Now he's home, and determined to live a simple life. Except then he's suddenly gone, leaving the narrator a legacy wrapped up in corruption and colonialism and violence against women that the narrator is REALLY NOT SURE THAT HE WANTS. (Mustafa's wife also gets some of this legacy. It's worse for her.)

It's a short book, but as you can imagine, it packs a hell of a punch.

Date: 2013-04-05 11:12 pm (UTC)
aberration: NASA Webb image of the Carina nebula (the stars all have names)
From: [personal profile] aberration
Yay, my... weird, depressing book recommendations!

Also, now that I'm done with the two weeks of having guests and other tiring things, we should hang out some time! ... also maybe when I don't have a cold.

Date: 2013-04-06 05:24 pm (UTC)
aberration: NASA Webb image of the Carina nebula (warm and safe and)
From: [personal profile] aberration
Yes, I can do that! Just let me know when/where/etc!

Date: 2013-04-07 04:10 am (UTC)
aberration: NASA Webb image of the Carina nebula (silence glaive)
From: [personal profile] aberration
I'm good with either! Though I'm slightly partial to going to your guys' place so I can shove off more candy on you.

Date: 2013-04-07 05:02 am (UTC)
aberration: Pabu from LoK taking a nap next to an old-fashioned radio. (kashira kashira)
From: [personal profile] aberration
Sounds good to me! I think I live semi-close to the dance place now? So I can meet you whenever you're ready.

Date: 2013-04-06 09:08 am (UTC)
surexit: A woman smoking and staring dubiously at the camera. (maaaaybe)
From: [personal profile] surexit
I have been meaning to read this, and it was recommended to me loads before I came to Sudan and given to me as a present. I just... tend to avoid depressing books. :(

Also, I am so with you on the introductions. THEY ARE AT THE FRONT. THEREFORE YOU READ THEM FIRST.

Date: 2013-04-06 01:46 pm (UTC)
surexit: A bird held loosely in two hands, with the text 'kenovay'. (Default)
From: [personal profile] surexit
My copy's in the UK, I think I'll read it when I get back. It'll be interesting from the, "oh hey I was just in Sudan," point of view, and also I have heard millions of good things about it. I will GIRD MY LOINS.

THE INTRODUCTION HAS ALL OF THE INTERESTING THINGS.

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