Nile Blues

by Maha Ayoub

What could a half-Christian veiled African, a tennis-playing millionaire socialite with Ottoman ancestors, a Nubian masquerading as her own children's missing father, a top executive hiding a shameful secret, and a burqa-clad ultra conservative abandoned wife, possibly have in common?For one, they share a dilapidated office in a derelict Kafka-esque bureaucracy, together with the local other-worldly an invisible evil Jinn, apparently intent on killing them all.And that's the easy part.The ladies' placid routine is turned upside-down when they are ordered to move into a brand new building, a prospect even more distressing than the vicious civil war raging in their country.Five women, five very different women, undergo the the death of a decrepit, post-colonial, multi-cultural and ethnically diverse nation, and the subsequent agonizing birth of two new, and possibly still-born, uniform but diametrically opposed countries. History is in the making, and the reader witnesses it through their eyes, experiences it through their lives, and shares their inability to alter the course of historical event; events that will transform their relations with each other, test their ability to hold their families together, or recreate them in an alien new reality."Nile Blues" is an ironic take on a rigid society ruled by religious and political taboos, riven by racial divides, and whose very fabric has been eroded by a bizarre mix of archaic superstition and state-of-the-art corruption. The story, narrated by the characters in their own words and through their scathingly irreverent wit, unfolds a tapestry of overlapping and conflicting desires and fears, personal and collective, woven together by the timeless river, the Blue Nile, the undercurrent that both unites and divides.

447 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 19, 2012

Reviews

[Alyaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very witty and humorous social commentary. Reading it during a trip to Khartoum has set a great backdrop for the events of the book, and have helped me profoundly in understanding my surroundings and put everything I observe into context. A great read for sure!

[O · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on contemporary life in Sudan pre-separation. It's real and painful & inclusive & moving. Beautifully written & I really hope the author doesn't stop at this.