A review by blessing_aj
River Spirit by Leila Aboulela

dark informative reflective sad 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? No

3.75

River spirit was a lesson in history for me on the Mahdist movement in Sudan in the 80’s that eventually led to a political revolution. Leila’s depiction of this period is splendid, as clear as day and the characters felt very much alive. I loved the lyrical prose and how well paced the story was.

However, I have a few reservations about certain aspects of the structure as well as the characters, which has left me with mixed feelings because while I can clearly see why we needed to hear from Gordon, Catherine and Robert, I would gladly trade their chapters for more perspective and reflections from Akuany, and Yaseen whose personalities gripped me from the start. Ishaq and Salha were also other characters that I would have really loved to have been less passive.