A review by sssnoo
The Orchard of Lost Souls by Nadifa Mohamed

4.0

Haunting. The Orchard of Lost Souls weaves together stories universal to all women: family, love, motherhood, friendship and layers them into the tragic horrific history of the Somali civil war. When the book ended I audibly gasped and cried. Historical fiction is a favorite genre of mine, but is dominated by European and American themes. My pursuit of reading a book from every country in the world has brought to view the conflicts, struggles and histories of a much wider swath of humanity. I am struck, not surprised though, by the universal themes and conflicts. I am edified by learning the details of regions rarely depicted in our news feeds. This book, by an exiled Somali woman, is written with prose that had me often stop and reread sentences just for the artistry and beauty of the language. In places this book describes the normal (and often dysfunctional as lives are0 day to day lives of the protagonists. Then, the descriptions of the brutality and trauma of war are layered on top. This is how war is - an insidious and also abrupt disruption of normal.

If you enjoy historical fiction this book should be added to your to-read list.