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A review by misspalah
Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed
4.0
He felt no joy or misery just a deep yearning for all things he had lost. The war was over but it had taken everything with it, and reduced his world to an island of peace surrounded by a sea of blood.
- Nadifa Mohamed
.
.
Wow, how do i begin my review aside from saying that I love this book. It was hauntingly beautiful but at the same time, it was not an easy read. It took me 4 days to finish this book. The story follow the journey of Jama in finding his father in Sudan. After losing her mother and was being forced to stay with his relative, Jama felt somewhat disconnected and felt that he should left and searching his own purpose and validity. The book traces his journey of from Aden through Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and finally to England. The time is the 1930s to 40s and much of the book is based in Eritrea and the war Italy bought to the region. Along the way, Jama witnesses Africa torn apart during the war orchestrated by European countries at that time. Jama loses his closest friends, finds love after the war and proceed to travel more. The portrayal of war, trauma and recovery written by Nadifa mohamed is enlightening and somewhat humbling for any reader blessed with a simpler life; in a country free from conflict and abundant with opportunity. Once i have finished reading this book that i found out Black Mamba Boy is based on the story of Nadifa Mohamed’s father, Jama, whom were first mentioned as a street child in Aden in 1935. I have the dejavu feeling when i read this because it reminded me so much of The Kite Runner as both are about it about a little boy who ventured thousands of miles in war-torn country but that's about as far as similarities went. For a debut novel, Nadifa mohamed stayed true to her root and unapologetically use slangs and terms that might difficult to grasp for those who are not familiar with culture but hey, that’s what google are made of. I deducted 1 star because the ending is too abrupt. I wish for more elaborate ending for me to finally say farewell to this tale.
- Nadifa Mohamed
.
.
Wow, how do i begin my review aside from saying that I love this book. It was hauntingly beautiful but at the same time, it was not an easy read. It took me 4 days to finish this book. The story follow the journey of Jama in finding his father in Sudan. After losing her mother and was being forced to stay with his relative, Jama felt somewhat disconnected and felt that he should left and searching his own purpose and validity. The book traces his journey of from Aden through Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and finally to England. The time is the 1930s to 40s and much of the book is based in Eritrea and the war Italy bought to the region. Along the way, Jama witnesses Africa torn apart during the war orchestrated by European countries at that time. Jama loses his closest friends, finds love after the war and proceed to travel more. The portrayal of war, trauma and recovery written by Nadifa mohamed is enlightening and somewhat humbling for any reader blessed with a simpler life; in a country free from conflict and abundant with opportunity. Once i have finished reading this book that i found out Black Mamba Boy is based on the story of Nadifa Mohamed’s father, Jama, whom were first mentioned as a street child in Aden in 1935. I have the dejavu feeling when i read this because it reminded me so much of The Kite Runner as both are about it about a little boy who ventured thousands of miles in war-torn country but that's about as far as similarities went. For a debut novel, Nadifa mohamed stayed true to her root and unapologetically use slangs and terms that might difficult to grasp for those who are not familiar with culture but hey, that’s what google are made of. I deducted 1 star because the ending is too abrupt. I wish for more elaborate ending for me to finally say farewell to this tale.