Some of the most beautiful prose, rich vocabulary and colourful backdrop. But a sad story and if I am not forgetting, a forgettable plot. For a while I used this book as my password book. There were endless words to choose from, all excellent choices, and entirely out of my control. ( )

Again, I read this quickly, and a while ago. But I do remember that this book contained a plot and a reasoning that was completely new to me, as a reader. It was beautiful and strange. ( )

This book, by Somali author, Nuruddin Farah, takes the reader on a long, slow journey into the culture of Somalia. Reading this book, I felt perpetually in that state of mind between sleep and dream. The story stands on its own, but is also metaphorically the country itself just about to break into open military conflict. Metaphors abound, dream and reality are difficult to separate, and each page must be savored.

I give it four stars rather than five because after a couple hundred pages, the waking dream state becomes a bit old. I wanted the story itself to move forward a bit faster. ( )