A review by 2treads
Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
"You know how life is run here,...Women belong to men, and a man's a man even if he is decrepit." -Mahjoub
Our narrator returns home to find at the centre of his village, a stranger, to whom his community seem to have the utmost deference for, so much so that he himself attempts to uncover the source of this man's magnetism.
After learning of the disturbing history that Mustafa holds, our narrator begins to delve into whatever he can find out about this man.
I appreciated how the atmosphere and interaction of the villagers, especially the elders, as it as so natural and uninhibited as well as vivid with imagery and connection to the land.
It is in the hunt for knowledge of others that one comes to understand oneself and the changes that are imminent and unavoidable.
With Season of Migration to the North Salih explores the intersections of faith, empire, emigration, return and metamorphosis. For surely there is change to be found in the juxtaposed experiences at home and in a foreign land.
Especially with the portrayal of women within the narrative: the 'freedom' and fragility of women in England with respect to their bodies and choices of furthering their education, what I saw as the fetishization of a Black man versus the status. of the muslim woman: whose life is dictated by the men in her family.
The views that are held and used to demean and persecute differences; the blooming of desires, both dark and light; the mission of redemption for past horrific impassioned deeds; the solace found in community and family.
Salih has written what I feel is a novel that is very much masculine and steeped in patriarchal worldview and culture especially when it comes to gender roles as per religion, the inveterate perceptions of colonialism and racism.
It also highlights the dualities within every community: the culture clash of old vs new, the adaptation of Western farming technology vs the use of old cultivation methods, the educational evolution vs the lived and learned ideology, and the changing views towards the roles played by women.
Our narrator returns home to find at the centre of his village, a stranger, to whom his community seem to have the utmost deference for, so much so that he himself attempts to uncover the source of this man's magnetism.
After learning of the disturbing history that Mustafa holds, our narrator begins to delve into whatever he can find out about this man.
I appreciated how the atmosphere and interaction of the villagers, especially the elders, as it as so natural and uninhibited as well as vivid with imagery and connection to the land.
It is in the hunt for knowledge of others that one comes to understand oneself and the changes that are imminent and unavoidable.
With Season of Migration to the North Salih explores the intersections of faith, empire, emigration, return and metamorphosis. For surely there is change to be found in the juxtaposed experiences at home and in a foreign land.
Especially with the portrayal of women within the narrative: the 'freedom' and fragility of women in England with respect to their bodies and choices of furthering their education, what I saw as the fetishization of a Black man versus the status. of the muslim woman: whose life is dictated by the men in her family.
The views that are held and used to demean and persecute differences; the blooming of desires, both dark and light; the mission of redemption for past horrific impassioned deeds; the solace found in community and family.
Salih has written what I feel is a novel that is very much masculine and steeped in patriarchal worldview and culture especially when it comes to gender roles as per religion, the inveterate perceptions of colonialism and racism.
It also highlights the dualities within every community: the culture clash of old vs new, the adaptation of Western farming technology vs the use of old cultivation methods, the educational evolution vs the lived and learned ideology, and the changing views towards the roles played by women.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence