North of Dawn: A Novel

I really enjoyed this book. A detailed looked at Somali immigrants in Oslo Norway is gripping and completely worth your time.

Great writing; complex characters, highly readable. Our book club liked it a lot and learned a lot. highly recommend!

This book had a fascinating premise. What responsibility does an assimilated Somali-Norwegian family have to the widow and children of their ISIS-affiliated late son? However, as this book reached its ending, it simply trailed off. No loose ends were wrapped up. No interesting or satisfying conclusion... it just stopped. Could there be a sequel in the works? If not, made me doubt the time I invested in the story and its characters.

The plight of Somalis wherever they may be is Farah’s lifetime subject. North of Dawn takes place in Oslo, Norway, among Somalis, Somali-Norwegians, and Norwegians. The central protagonists are grandfather Mugdi and grandson Naciim. The central antagonist is Waliya, Mugdi’s daughter-in-law, who comes to Oslo from a refugee camp in Kenya following the death of her husband and Mugdi’s son, Dhaqanaeh, who blew himself up as a fervent member of Al-Shabbab. The tone of the last quarter of the book brings together fundamental Islam, family loyalties, and endearing characters. It is troubling in the ways that consistent if abhorrent behavior sometimes is and represents one of the many powers of fiction.

This book is a five star. If you want to read about Somalians. You will love this book

The book started out well and then slowly disintegrated. It was over abruptly, as if the author was tired of the whole thing. All dialogues sounded the same. Not one had an unusual voice. Very staid. Such a pity, because it could have become a very arresting piece of writing. Needed a first rate editor.

This novel is written in an oddly flat style that is off-putting at first but became increasingly compelling. In the end, basic human emotions and conditions cut across cultures.

The premise and events of this novel are very compelling. The glimpse into a lives of a little-understood population makes this worth reading. However the book has many weaknesses. The style made it difficult to connect to the characters emotionally. For example, the present tense narration throughout is very jarring and awkward. Also, the dialogue is quite unnatural. On several occasions the dialogue includes multi-page long monologues that read more like exposition. There's no natural nor emotional climax nor resolution. Characters are fairly flat throughout the story. People are either good or bad; they don't experience much growth or change. As such the ending feels very abrupt and rushed. A little disappointing...

When Farah is trying to explain Somalia and the mentalities of its diaspora in the wake of its breakdown into anarchy in 1991 he is very enlightening. However, when he tries to convey Norwegians and Norwegian society it reads like someone who has made a visit or two and has otherwise relied on poorly translated tabloid newspaper articles. In short it is hopelessly inauthentic. This becomes very apparent half way through and I nearly gave up. However, it picks up as the Somalian characters dominate again and their fates unfold. I admire Farah for his candid dissection of this seemingly hopelessly dysfunctional society that clings to religion rather than facing up to the root causes of its disintegration.

Nuruddin beschreibt immer wieder gut die Situation in Somalia und das Leben der Leute. Warte auf sein nächstes Buch