Knots
Nuruddin Farah
2007
419 pages
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FTC: I bought it. Isn’t this getting boring? Do you even read this stuff? And if so, can I have that job…I wanna get paid for sitting around and reading book blogs all day.
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Born in Somalia, but raised in Canada, Cambara returns to Mogadiscio after the death of her son and the dissolution of her marriage. In Mogadiscio she seeks peace from the unrelenting memories and purpose in reclaiming her family’s property, which has been taken over by a local warlord.
Mogadiscio, however, is not a safe place, especially for a modern woman such as Cambara. Luckily, she finds allies in the local Women’s Network, who help her navigate the city safely, offer her shelter in a hotel, and provide all sorts of other assistance in her quest.
The good: Knots provides a peek into Somali life, particularly the lawlessness and the daily struggle to survive.
The bad: This is a weird book. And not woo-woo weird, but rather language weird. An example:
“Not withstanding that, she is inclined to keep the various parties with whom she is dealing separate so that none of them is au courant of her plans, especially not when she makes sallies into another party’s preserve.” p. 183
And another example, this time a bit of dialogue between Cambara and her ally, Kiin:
“One gets used to all kinds of situations, however awful, to the extent that one will so what one can to survive minimally. If need be, one will become inventive, resourceful, and will find accommodating ways that are on occasion contradictory until one is doing relatively well even in the most terrible of conditions.” p. 193
In other words, I found both the writing and the dialogue to be a bit stilted and formal. However, Farah is evidently quite the writer, having been nominated for the Nobel Prize. Shows you what I know. Of course, Sigrid Undset won the Nobel Prize, so shows you what the Nobel Committee knows, too.
And what a startling cover.
.-= Care´s last blog ..A Wrinkle in Time =-.
Ugh, I couldn’t take that writing!
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Winner – Emotional Geology =-.
Okay that first quote made my head spin and I’m normally fond of wordplay. That sounds more like a bad translation than original text.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..On Beauty =-.
LOL! Those award committees get it all wrong sometimes. I think we should be put on them, then we can get paid to read books.
You can keep your job with the FCT – I’d love to read the blogs, but would hate to have to mention those that aren’t complying – you are doing a fantastic job!! I look forward to seeing what you have to say to the FCT each day!
.-= Jackie (Farm Lane Books)´s last blog ..Silvio Sirias and Latino Literature =-.
I love the sound of the subject matter and setting of this book, but I find the stilted writing thing offputting. Hmmm…maybe I’ll wait for her to win the Nobel
.-= gentle reader´s last blog ..Sunday Salon–Books I read a little bit of today =-.
The premise of the book sounds good, but those quotes didn’t do a thing for me.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Review: What the Dog Saw =-.
H m m m, the writing. : / It does sound like a very interesting book though! And the cover is pretty haunting.
.-= She´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesday =-.
Wow! This is amazing and sounds very interesting. Someday, when I can concentrate enough to read this I’d love to.
By the way, I just have to say, I love your FTC disclosures…they always crack me up!
.-= The1stdaughter´s last blog ..Littlebug’s Recent Obsession =-.
I couldn’t take a whole book like that. The writing is just too disjointed to follow.
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesday: East of Eden =-.
I wonder if it was translated — from French? from Somali?
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday 62 =-.
I tried reading one of Farah’s books in 2008, because I was like “Somalia! Cool!” But I abandoned it after about 30 pages, because the writing drove me insane. I was hoping to try a different title, but now it seems like that’s just the style.