Reviews

Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih

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gylait's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wowie. What a novel. I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut recently and this book did a great job of digging me out. The narrator explores the complex interplay of identity, colonialism, and desire as he returns home from his studies in England. Tayeb Salih delves into the psychological depths of his characters, revealing the lingering effects of colonialism and the collision of cultures in post-colonial Sudan

First off, the writing was beautiful. Salih, in partnership with the translator, put together a wonderfully crafted novel that flowed incredibly well. The ways in which concepts, locations, and characters were contrasted to emphasize the important themes in Salih’s work was excellent. I loved the ways in which it jumped between time, at first giving me a bit of pause, but as I got used to it, I very much enjoyed it. I additionally appreciated the way Mustafa’s story is slowly revealed to us as a foil to the unnamed narrator.

This short novel was exactly the taster I needed in my current reading phase and I am very glad I picked it up.

mangobdc19's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

fbroom's review against another edition

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4.0

*twisted* *dark* I will need to read it again

nijntjemeisje's review against another edition

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5.0

prachtig geschreven en schetst een goed beeld van de effecten van kolonialisme op microniveau. hoe de levens van echte mensen, niet alleen statistieken, radicaal kunnen veranderen.

halftimelord's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I thought the themes of this book were interesting but I thought it was a bit disjointed at points and the scenes with Mustafa in London weren't great to read. I probably would have benefitted from studying the book as opposed to reading it. The best bits were when we were with the main character or the grandfather and other old people, I really liked Bint Majzoub. The final chapter was brilliant!

Content Warnings

alihashemah's review

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4.0

Education provided the characters privileges; that set them apart from others and condemned their experience of life. The books English version lacks the poetic lyrics of the Arabic version. Perhaps it can be read in part as a narration of sequenced events, poetic Keats style writings inbetween and a silver lining to the context of the author. One day a talented writer will transform and be inspired by this novel to produce an Arabian Epic that will span time, space and culture. Until then read this novel and embrace its literary complexity.