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A review by yvonne_s
Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela
5.0
Beautifully written.
This is my favourite of Leila Aboulela's novels. Like its title, her prose is always lyrical, and Lyrics Alley has an added confidence in its writing.
The novel is set in the 1950s as Sudan approaches independence from the UK. I knew little about Sudan's history, and this is deftly woven into the novel, without dominating it. Lyrics Alley is based on the true story of Aboulela's uncle, who turned to poetry after an accident.
In Lyrics Alley, Mahmoud Abuzeid is a prosperous businessman who is head of an extended family that includes his two wives, his two sons, his brother and his brother's daughters. Mahmoud's two wives are in stark contrast: the first wife is Sudanese, menopausal and traditional; the second wife is young, Egyptian and modern. Mahmoud's two sons by his first wife are also in contrast. Nassir, the elder, in spite of being married, is irresponsible in work and play. Nur, the younger, is a brilliant scholar expected to go to Cambridge University in Britain. He is also betrothed to Soraya, his cousin, and their affection for each other is sensitively portrayed, as are the repercussions on their relationship of Nur's terrible accident.
Lyrics Alley is a multi-viewpoint novel and Aboulela shows us the lives of the characters through their eyes, allowing us to see their thoughts and feelings. Instead of judging the conditions in which the characters find themselves, Aboulela allows the characters to speak for themselves. For instance, we feel the young Soraya's indignation when her father doesn't allow her to have the spectacles she so desperately needs for school, and this incident reveals the plight of women at the time when men were looking forward to liberation! In the same way, Aboulela also weaves the issue of female circumcision into the narrative in a way that leaves no doubt about its impact. At the same time as she sensitively shows the feelings of the traditional wife, Waheeba, who is afraid of what she sees as the terrible consequences that would befall her daughter were she to remain uncircumcised.
One final character I would like to mention is Badr, who tutors Nur after his accident. His position is so lowly that Mahmoud does not remember his name. Badr is a complex character, a devout Muslim who struggles with guilt at not being able to maintain his ideals. One passage that stands out in my mind is when the teacher visits the mosque and feels a strong sense of spiritual connection but then wonders if it was all his imagination; afterwards he goes home feeling sure he's going to cope better now his ailing father and hapless cousin. Instead he flies into a rage and then feels frustrated at himself.
Lyrics Alley is a great blend of history and story, and throughout it all Aboulela writes with a sense of kindness, of understanding.
This is my favourite of Leila Aboulela's novels. Like its title, her prose is always lyrical, and Lyrics Alley has an added confidence in its writing.
The novel is set in the 1950s as Sudan approaches independence from the UK. I knew little about Sudan's history, and this is deftly woven into the novel, without dominating it. Lyrics Alley is based on the true story of Aboulela's uncle, who turned to poetry after an accident.
In Lyrics Alley, Mahmoud Abuzeid is a prosperous businessman who is head of an extended family that includes his two wives, his two sons, his brother and his brother's daughters. Mahmoud's two wives are in stark contrast: the first wife is Sudanese, menopausal and traditional; the second wife is young, Egyptian and modern. Mahmoud's two sons by his first wife are also in contrast. Nassir, the elder, in spite of being married, is irresponsible in work and play. Nur, the younger, is a brilliant scholar expected to go to Cambridge University in Britain. He is also betrothed to Soraya, his cousin, and their affection for each other is sensitively portrayed, as are the repercussions on their relationship of Nur's terrible accident.
Lyrics Alley is a multi-viewpoint novel and Aboulela shows us the lives of the characters through their eyes, allowing us to see their thoughts and feelings. Instead of judging the conditions in which the characters find themselves, Aboulela allows the characters to speak for themselves. For instance, we feel the young Soraya's indignation when her father doesn't allow her to have the spectacles she so desperately needs for school, and this incident reveals the plight of women at the time when men were looking forward to liberation! In the same way, Aboulela also weaves the issue of female circumcision into the narrative in a way that leaves no doubt about its impact. At the same time as she sensitively shows the feelings of the traditional wife, Waheeba, who is afraid of what she sees as the terrible consequences that would befall her daughter were she to remain uncircumcised.
One final character I would like to mention is Badr, who tutors Nur after his accident. His position is so lowly that Mahmoud does not remember his name. Badr is a complex character, a devout Muslim who struggles with guilt at not being able to maintain his ideals. One passage that stands out in my mind is when the teacher visits the mosque and feels a strong sense of spiritual connection but then wonders if it was all his imagination; afterwards he goes home feeling sure he's going to cope better now his ailing father and hapless cousin. Instead he flies into a rage and then feels frustrated at himself.
Lyrics Alley is a great blend of history and story, and throughout it all Aboulela writes with a sense of kindness, of understanding.