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A review by niallgoulding1
Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih, الطيب صالح
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I was disappointed by this book. I'd heard so many great things & expected a deep examination of post-colonialism. A counterpoint to Heart of Darkness (full disclosure a book I also didn't enjoy). But instead I got a tale of one man's time as a fetishised, exotic sexual play thing for a group of self destructive upper class British women. Wrapped by a depressing tale of a traditional, patriarchal village exploding into a tragic event that was so cartooonishly over the top that I couldn't find it in myself to care.
Like Heart of Darkness, the writing is beautiful in places and I'm sure that this could form part of an interesting lit course comparing and contrasting the literature of coloniser and colonised. But I struggle to find any value reading it alone.
Another reviewer mentioned the question posed on the back cover, "But what is the meaning of Mustafa's confession?"and how having finished the book they were still left pondering the same question. I think that sums up my experience with the book. Maybe it was above my ability but I struggled to see the point of this
Like Heart of Darkness, the writing is beautiful in places and I'm sure that this could form part of an interesting lit course comparing and contrasting the literature of coloniser and colonised. But I struggle to find any value reading it alone.
Another reviewer mentioned the question posed on the back cover, "But what is the meaning of Mustafa's confession?"and how having finished the book they were still left pondering the same question. I think that sums up my experience with the book. Maybe it was above my ability but I struggled to see the point of this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence