- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Riverhead (HC) (Mar 29 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1573222658
- ISBN-13: 978-1573222655
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 16 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 590 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#870,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #30 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > African > East African
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this stunning, timely novel from the internationally acclaimed Somalian writer Farah (From a Crooked Rib, etc.), Jeebleh, a middle-aged Somalian, leaves his family in New York to return for the first time in 20 years to his birthplace, civil war–torn Mogadishu. Having been a political prisoner before leaving the country, he's not anxious to go back, but feels responsibility for his family (he must settle his late mother's accounts, and make peace with her spirit) and for his oldest friend, Bile, whose niece, Raasta, and her playmate have been kidnapped. Bile's murderous, hedonistic stepbrother, Caloosha—who'd had Jeebleh imprisoned, two decades earlier—is now one of the city's notorious clan warlords and likely involved in the kidnapping. Jeebleh is horrified to see a city familiar yet terribly changed, where he is surrounded by gun-toting, qaat-chewing teenagers with hair-trigger tempers, family elders offended by his refusal to give them money to buy arms, and an associate of Caloosha's who collects dead bodies for reburial. Jeebleh fulfills his duties and reawakens his connections with his clan only when he sets his ideals aside, as he makes his way through the country's political and social labyrinths. Farah skillfully delineates the emotional transformations that take place in Jeebleh as he becomes accustomed to his changed homeland, a corrupt society where powerless citizens act on a moment-to-moment basis, whether for good or for ill, in order to survive, and where—as both Jeebleh and the reader discover—nothing is as simple as it first appears. The publication of this beautifully written book should be one of the year's literary events.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* In this supremely powerful meditation on violence, evil, and the possibilities of human redemption, Farah, author of From a Crooked Rib (1970), lays bare a society so wracked by civil war that death is a lucrative export and killing a pastime. The story is set in Mogadiscio, Somalia, in the years after the exit of the U.S. military, but with the city firmly in the grips of warlords. Into this Dantean landscape comes Jeebleh, a former resident who has long since made a new life for himself in New York City as a college professor. Jeebleh has returned to seek out the unmarked grave of his mother and to reacquaint himself with his closest friend, Bile, a doctor who operates a refuge for the homeless and those temporarily dislocated by the fighting. No sooner does Jeebleh arrive than he must confront evil--and his own past. He is also quickly enmeshed in the search for Bile's kidnapped niece, Raasta, a child-saint who symbolizes the people's hope, and her friend Makka. This dual search takes Jeebleh to the most desolate parts of the city, a landscape of hell, where he is guided and tempted by demons rather than men. This is a significant novel by an important novelist. Frank Caso
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Journey into the heart of the conflict,
By Peter Jones (Springfield, IL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Links (Hardcover)
LINKS is a brilliantly written work that introduces and familiarizes us to the intriguing nation called Somalia. We are taken into the depth of Somali culture, the complex nature of its society and suffocating grip of its history. The characters we encounter are full of life and vitality, manifesting good and evil in their different ways and situations. I enjoyed the story and came out of it having a better understanding of Somalia. Triple Agent Double Cross, Disgrace, A Continent for the Taking, Disciples of Fortune, are also books about Africa that I consider as recommended read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Journey into the heart of the conflict,
By Jones (IL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Links (Hardcover)
LINKS is a brilliantly written work that introduces and familiarizes us to the intriguing nation called Somalia. We are taken into the depth of Somali culture, the complex nature of its society and suffocating grip of its history. The characters we encounter are full of life and vitality, manifesting good and evil in their different ways and situations. I enjoyed the story and came out of it having a better understanding of Somalia. Triple Agent Double Cross, Disgrace, A Continent for the Taking, Disciples of Fortune, are also books about Africa that I consider as recommended read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Journey into a Dantean Hell .,
By "arbgeek" (Colt's Neck, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Links (Hardcover)
This was a provocative ,inspiring read . Farah takes us to a place that exists in the present but is also surreal . It is a story of redemption and self -exploration ,written in a true voice .I thouroughly enjoyed the intimacy of Farahs writing . The characters were real and represented both good and evil . Sometimes within the same persona ! Nuruddin Farah has taken us to a place that we could never fully appreciate without his flourishing prose. This novel should be read by anyone who wishes to explore the inner recesses of the Somalian culture and the pathos that exists during any rebellion .
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
