In 1950s Sudan, the powerful Abuzeid dynasty has amasseda fortune through their trading firm with Mahmoud Bey atits helm. But when Mahmoud’s son, Nur, suffers a debilitatingaccident, the family is suddenly divided in the face of anuncertain future.
As British rule nears its end, Sudan is torn between modernizinginfluences and the call of traditions past — a conflictreflected in Mahmoud’s two wives: Nabilah, who longs to escapethe dust of “backward-looking” Sudan, and Waheeba, wholives traditionally within the confines of her open-air kitchen.It is not until Nur begins to assert himself outside the strictcultural limits that both his own spirit and the frayed bonds ofhis family can begin to mend.
This sweeping tale by the IMPAC and Orange Prize–nominated writer is one of the most accomplished and evocativeportraits ever written about Sudanese society at the timeof independence.
In 1950s Sudan, the powerful Abuzeid dynasty has amasseda fortune through their trading firm with Mahmoud Bey atits helm. But when Mahmoud’s son, Nur, suffers a debilitatingaccident, the family is suddenly divided in the face of anuncertain future.
As British rule nears its end, Sudan is torn between modernizinginfluences and the call of traditions past — a conflictreflected in Mahmoud’s two wives: Nabilah, who longs to escapethe dust of “backward-looking” Sudan, and Waheeba, wholives traditionally within the confines of her open-air kitchen.It is not until Nur begins to assert himself outside the strictcultural limits that both his own spirit and the frayed bonds ofhis family can begin to mend.
This sweeping tale by the IMPAC and Orange Prize–nominated writer is one of the most accomplished and evocativeportraits ever written about Sudanese society at the timeof independence.