Measuring Time

by Helon Habila

In the small Nigerian village of Keti live Mamo and LaMamo, twin sons of a domineering father. When one day the boys try and escape the village, only LaMamo succeeds - and in time becomes a soldier well-versed in the ways of life and death. Mamo, too sickly to leave, remains in Keti finding solace in the arms of Zara while watching impotently as his detested father grows powerful and corrupt. Unable to wield a weapon, Mamo instead reaches for a pen and soon begins to write the true history of Keti and its people - all the time awaiting the return of his beloved brother, LaMamo ...

Genres: Fiction, Africa, Nigeria, African Literature, Historical Fiction, Novels, Literature

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Helon Habila was born in Nigeria in 1967. He studied literature at the University of Jos and taught at the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, before moving to Lagos to work as a journalist. In Lagos he wrote his first novel, Waiting for an Angel, which won the Caine Prize in 2001. Waiting for an Angel has been translated into many languages including Dutch, Italian, Swedish, and French.

In 2002, he moved to England to become the African Writing Fellow at the University of East Anglia. After his fellowship he enrolled for a PhD in Creative Writing. His writing has won many prizes including the Commonwealth Writers Prize, 2003. In 2005-2006 he was the first Chinua Achebe Fellow at Bard College in New York. He is a contributing editor to the Virginia Quarterly Review, and in 2006 he co-edited the British Council's anthology, NW14: The Anthology of New Writing, Volume 14. His second novel, Measuring Time, was published in February 2007.

He currently teaches Creative Writing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where he lives with his wife and children.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish i could have made a shelf called "books in which two twins set off to become soldiers together, only one has second thoughts, and turns back, and then they are separated," and then i could put this and Gob's Grief on it. however, that is too long a shelf name to have, APPARENTLY...

come to my blog!

[Tamara Agha-Jaffar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Measuring Time by Helon Habila skillfully weaves the political and cultural environment of Nigeria from the 1960s to the 1990s with the lives of twin boys, Mamo and LaMamo, in the Nigerian village of Keti.

Mamo, the older twin, suffers from sickle cell anemia, is physically weak, reserved, introspective, and intellectual. LaMamo is athletic, boisterous, outgoing, and glib. The brothers dream of escaping from their domineering father to lead adventurous lives. Their paths diverge after they run away together to become soldiers. Mamo is forced to return home because of a health emergency; LaMamo continues his journey and becomes a mercenary, fighting alongside various rebel groups in Liberia and Guinea, and eventually working with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) before returning home.

Although Mamo’s disease prevents him from leaving the village, he escapes intellectually and emotionally from his father. He succeeds academically, becoming a history teacher in the local school. He embarks on a project to write a history of the village through interviewing its people. His project attracts the attention of village leaders who invite him to write a biography of the village chief. Close interaction with village leaders exposes Mamo to the corruption, bribery, and moral turpitude of those in power.

Meanwhile LaMamo travels to neighboring countries as a mercenary, joining factions fighting for African liberation. He keeps his brother apprised of his travels and activities by periodically sending him letters. These reveal LaMamo’s increasing disenchantment with wars, with the exploitation of children coerced into fighting, and with senseless killing and suffering of innocent civilians.

Through the lives of these twin brothers and the people they interact with, Habila shows a society riddled with corruption. A school that provides educational opportunities for village children is tossed around as a pawn between political factions and is eventually forced to close. The money raised for drilling new wells in draught-ridden areas is whittled away in the hands of corrupt politicians. The police crush riots through brutality, violence, and intimidation. Rebel leaders and their followers, ostensibly fighting for African liberation from the yoke of colonialism, rape and pillage at will. As a result of their separate experiences, the brothers become increasingly discouraged about the possibility of a better future.

Habila’s characters are realistically portrayed, especially his protagonist Mamo who emerges as a sensitive, conscientious individual determined to record the dignity and resilience of ordinary people in his village. The description of village life, inhabitants, traditions, and customs is rich in detail. Habila has woven an intricate tapestry that threads the recent history of Nigeria with the lives of twin boys, thereby expanding his vision to illustrate both the personal and political challenges facing a people.

A powerful story, told in clear, succinct prose, with sensitivity and compassion.

Highly recommended.

My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable piece of work by Habila. His prose is lyrically attractive, poetic, a canvas of colours playing with some trompe l'oeil techniques and intertextual references from various authors. It's stories within a story. The twin fighter vs the academic twin, two sides of the same coin really, although the academic twin occupies much of the narrative there is always an implicit reference to the risk taker and fighter. Set in the Nigeria of the '60s to the 90's we witness through the characters an array of political events played out by local government representatives. The ending was the only part that let me down a little but all in all an excellent book

[Naori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could live in this book, and survive on these words...this is what I call a literary memory.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long & demanding novel, it's also a slow starter, & I kept being tempted to bail out until, at midpoint, I figured out what it was about, & that was two of my favorite topics: History & national identity. "A true history," the main character reflects, "is one that looks at the lives of individuals, ordinary people who toil and dream and suffer, who bear the brunt of whatever vicissitudes time inflicts on the nation. If a historian could capture these ordinary lives, including their recollections of their own family's past, then he might come close to writing a true 'biographical history' of a nation; for when we refer to a nation, are we not really referring to the people that inhabit that nation, and so isn't the story of a nation then really the story of the people who make up the nation?" And in a sense that's what this author does in telling the story of this amateur Nigerian historian of a sort. But it's a different Nigeria than one sees in Half of a Yellow Sun, though there are some similarities, too, in a story that covers some of the same years, but in a different part of Nigeria. But why do fictional missionaries to Africa always come from Iowa?

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a 4.5. For all of what seem on the surface like "gimmicks," (Nigerian twins, the structure of the bildungsroman, etc) it adds up to a smart, elegant story. Mamo and LaMamo grow up neglected by their father and raised by their aunt. Mamo is physically weak from sickle-cell anemia; LaMamo is strong. They run away and LaMamo becomes a soldier; Mamo is forced to turn back and becomes a teacher and a historian. The pathos and boredom of Mamo's life is punctuated by LaMamo's letters from Liberia and Guinea, where he is a mercenary soldier cum assistant to Medecins Sans Frontieres. Mamo, by dint of his writing, is invited into the corridors of power, but at personal and moral cost. LaMamo's reappearance at the novel's end brings the story's action full-circle. The storytelling is graceful and economical. Concerned as the novel's protagonist is with writing, one is reminded that there are, in fact, good cliches.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waffled back and forth over if this book was a four star or a three star...so it is getting a 3+ from me. I liked the book and found it very interesting. But the reason for the three stars and not four is because the most interesting part for me was "experiencing" life in an African village and how civil wars/any war affect the life of people living in the conflict areas. The author does an excellent job of painting the picture of African village life and giving depth to Mamo, the main character. But the storyline didn't really capture my attention. I enjoyed reading it but mainly because the background and setting kept me captured...not the story so much.

Overall, glad I read the book and it was better than I expected it to be, but the journey I went on through the book was not via the storyline, just the story setting and background.

[Titilayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this book was listening to my father talk about his life before immigration. i could easily see him and his mates living out their lives in this novel. it was realistic fiction, becuase it bought the nigerian of my father's youth (and the nigerian during the present elections) to life in a very sublte way. helon habila writes in a plain fashion. he puts me in the mind of chinua achebe. what you see is what the characters see. what you experience is what the characters experience. what you take from it is what you take from it.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were still teaching, I would teach this book, not only for the questions it raises to which I do not know the answers (Nigerian history primary among them), but also because it is beautifully told, deceptively simple, and filled with love and wisdom, anger and illness, dishonesty and naive, hopeful belief. Mamo and LaMamo are twins who as children seek adventure and fame, and as adults realize the dark side of both ambitions.

[Friederike Knabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Measuring Time" is the story of twin brothers, their family and the people that shaped them. Living in rural Nigeria, village life and the natural environment add atmosphere and context. Habila's story-telling talents are evident in numerous ways. His own narrative of people and events is interwoven with those of his protagonist Mamo, who in later years writes about the people around him and thereby becomes a recorder of the local history. Giving Mamo the dual voice of the growing boy/young adult of the story time line and the retrospective commentary of the future biographer, the author creates an even richer portrayal of the main characters and the times they live in.

Mamo, the first born of the twins, inherited sickle cell anemia from his mother, who died in child birth. From an early age Mamo, fragile and prone to health crises, does not expect to grow into adulthood. This makes him reflective and withdrawn, always waiting for something to happen: first death, later on fame, fortune or something else. Expectations and dreams change over time. The younger twin, LaMamo, on the other hand, is a rambunctious youth who "acts before he thinks". Together they make a complete person, one balancing the other's character.

Among the many things uniting them, hatred for their father stands above all else. They are convinced that he made their mother's life so miserable that she died at a young age. Fortunately, they are taken to their uncle Ilya for the first few years of their lives. Then auntie Marina, their father's sister, comes to live with them, dedicating her life to the well being of the boys. Eventually, the young men plan their escape: there are wars being fought in neighbouring countries and they believe that they can make their fortune...

Things don't work out as planned but Uncle Iliya takes Mamo under his intellectual and emotional wing. eventually, Mamo joins his uncle's community school as a history teacher. There he crosses paths with his childhood friend, Zara. His life takes a new turn as a result, in more ways than one. Meanwhile, LaMamo's progress or lack thereof in fighting other people's wars is conveyed through long letters to his brother that arrive sporadically. Will they ever meet again?

This is not just the story of one family, although the individuals stand in the centre of events. Uncle Ilija, who fought in several wars, has turned all his energy into maintaining the village school and to bring understanding and wisdom to those around him. The twin's father, a wealthy businessman, attempts a political career with mixed results, allowing the author to expose the many problems of the political system in the recently turned independent state of Nigeria. Habila has not only created vivid characters that stay in the reader's mind, he has skilfully broadened and deepened the narrative to include a rich account of Nigerian tradition and customs as they have evolved in this part of the country. Keeping his story personal and centred on a group of distinct characters, he finds a sensitive balance between the intimate and the historical context. His evocative power of description, whether of landscapes or human beings, is complemented by his skill as a story teller in the rich African tradition. As a human interest story it reaches audiences beyond those interested in Africa.

[Geek Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was an interesting read but not quite what i expected. the characters were wonderful and one can't help but want the twins to succeed in their quest to become famous. i enjoyed the beginning of their tale the most - the young boys are very entertaining. i also enjoyed reading about their journeys and felt extremely sympathetic for mamo and his adventure, perhaps because the story is told from his perspective. still, i feel as though the story loses its way just as it is winding down and believe part four could have been tighter. still, it was an enjoyable read. most interesting was the frequent reminder that were it not for western influence, the twin boys would likely have been killed. also interesting was the importance of plans for water when it came up considering that it is usually not thought of when thinking of nigeria but is often associated with other parts of africa.

[Tinea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the sprawling tale of the brother who stayed behind in rural Northern Nigeria when I read it, but the story faded and was eclipsed by sharper, more urgent works (Born on a Tuesday, Season of Crimson Blossoms). A meandering deep dive into political corruption and local boss machinery, and how young men are woven in as bright threads-- actors-- but are not the loom or the weaver or the tapestry.

[Lucyh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of two brothers separated by war, ambition and time. A good read.

[Zeineb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ADORE this book. I have never thought that a random book that I picked from a pile and for which I paid a few coins would affect me this much.

Nigerian literature is a powerhouse of which Habila's ability is a token. This book is not just a story, but it is more of a saga; a saga that narrates the passage of time and its effects on a group of people that share the acquaintance of the protagonist who seems to be the life of the village in which he lives.

This book broaches many themes that permeate the African writing arena in general: poverty, political chaos, corruption, civil wars,religious fanaticism, etc... It is like Habila created a panorama of the dark side of Nigeria that is contrasted with its Archedian beauty that is manifested in its natural serenity.

One feels the intensity that has a crescendo tempo transpiring through the pages, for Habila managed to create a well-constructed plot that dealt mainly with all of its plotholes in a neat and straightforward manner.

Literature is celebrated by this book in all of its African glory.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two twins, living in a small Nigerian village called Keti, measuring time, wondering how they will each achieve fame together. Mamo, the twin who has sickle cell anemia, measures his time as a child, sick in bed, while his twin colors and entertains him by his bedside. Mamo measures his time, waiting for his father's love. Mamo measures his time, waiting for his twin to come back from numerous rebel armies, trying to "save Africa" from the puppets of the Western Powers. Mamo measures his time, going to school and teaching at a school in Keti that the government will soon close. Mamo measures his time, waiting for Zara, the love of his life to come back to him. While he waits, he measures his time, hoping to achieve fame by writing a biography of the Mai, the leader of Keti. Mamo suffers loneliness, abandonment, and the disillusionment of Keti's corrupt government. Helon Habila's powerful words portray Mamo's acute feelings in detail throughout his childhood and adulthood. This is Mamo's story...

[Dowell Oba · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's style of putting across the story is unique and wonderful. I love the characterization, particularly that of Mamo, the sickly twin. The author takes us carefully into his gentle and admirable character. He is a young man that speaks less and lives in much silence, from which he studies his environment very well, and becomes a historian determined to preserve his people's history and tell their story from different angles and from the point of view of several distinct individuals including Zara, the Mai, the Waziri, his father, his uncles as well as his brother. The author does a great job in the book by making us appreciate the varying and admirable qualities in individual characters, no matter how ordinary they may seem.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

first time this has happened to me. i usually abandon a book early on, the most i will read is about 70 pages before i leave it. i enjoyed this book so much and then, when there were about 100 pages left, i didn't want to read anymore.

i think it is written very well and it is an interesting story, but i think the detail of the history got too much for me. i love historical novels, but this one was a tad too much. pity though, as it was really promising. i skimmed over the last 100 pages.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters and their relationships, and the political goings-on -- both the political-hopeful father and the government interference in the school intrigued me.

The language was pleasant and enjoyable to read, and the main story was interesting.

It was maybe 150 pages too long and could have used an editor with a more judicious eye.

[Glodil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this amazing story of 2 brothers. So recommend this.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com....

[Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

You made it Helon Habila Lol haha ha. This was a well written. It was about two twins who were born in a village in the 1960s. When they come of age one of the kids becomes soldier. And the other one Mamo becomes a book worm. Mamo has frequent problems with being diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. Mamo goes to university but has to quit because of his sickness. He then becomes a school teacher in the village where he comes from. He teaches English and history. Mamo works for free. Mamo and uncle Ilyiah go to the Mai to see if he can keep the school open but they fail. In the the meantime Mamo father is doing politics finding ways to help his people. Later the father gets a stroke and dies. Mamo gets a job writing a biography about the Mai who is like a chief. Mamo discovers that the Mai is a terrible man then he changes his mind and writes about figures of Keti which I are not biased. There is a moment when Mamo sets up a fundraiser which promises that that wells will be built in the village. It turns out the Mai lied and didn’t hire the right people to fix the wells. Lamamo fights wars as Mamo is living his life and through and altercation he marries a woman from Liberia and before that he looses his eye. They send letters back and fourth describing to each other what is currently going on in there lives. LeMamo comes back and sparks a riot to kill the Mai and the Wazher his right hand man. The rioters kill Wazher but not Mai. LaMamo is shot by police and dies some hours later. His dieing wish is to have his wife Binto I live in the village where LaMamo and Mamo grow up as boys. I wish the story ended with Mamo getting back together with Zara. This novel did a very good job telling the sad story’s of both twins. One twin being a soldier and the other twin being the intellectual. They both grew up together as kids having the ambition of being famous and prestigious. In the end they both do so.

[Mpho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Measuring Time confirms Habila as an exceptional voice in African literature. His great skill is to infuse the individual and the local with panoramic, historical significance. Colonial history, tribal myth, 20th-century politics, Plutarch and the poetry of Christopher Okigbo are tightly woven into precise and loving descriptions of landscape. The novel's triumph is to allow hope to endure." - Stephanie Merritt, The Observer
In fact all the themes of the book are somehow linked to this notion of waiting and the passage of time. As each character metaphorically watches the clock their expectations are different, some don’t appear to know exactly why or what they are waiting for. On the other hand you have someone like uncle Iliya, whose hopes are more clear-cut but frustrating circumstances force him to wait. Not unlike how Mamo waits to hear from – and maybe see LaMamo again. It is clear from both his books that Habila is drawn to exploring the topic of anticipation and all its manifestations. So he is consistent in that respect.

[John Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent novel about twins raised in northeastern Nigeria, one, LaMamo, who goes off to fight as a mercenary in regional conflicts, while his twin, Mamo, who was afflicted with sickle-cell anemia stays in the home village of Keti and becomes a school teacher and town historian. The story centers on Mamo's life. In bringing out the story of Mamo and Keti and their history, we find out the colonial and church history of the village. Two of the original missionary's daughters continue to live their entire lives in the village. After having read many of the Heinemann's African Writers series that includes many Nigerian writers, I felt like this book really straddles aspects from those books but is also written in a very American way. I really liked how this book was written as it brought out all aspects of this small village in Nigeria, while sharing the historical African context in the larger stories of the characters.

[Helga Schaberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful, thought-provoking, beautifully-written.

page 316: She said, "As a kid I was afraid of the dark, of being alone in the dark. But I outgrew that with time. Then in school I feared not being liked by the other girls, I outgrew that with time also. After school it was the fear of failure - I still fear failure, but for a different reason, a more mature reason. I fear it for myself. I don't want to fall below my expectations for myself, that'll be so unbearable, only that at times I don't even know what my expectations for myself are ... I seem to keep mixing them up with other people's expectations of me. When does one stop growing up and become really grown up?"
It was a rhetorical question and Mamo did not attempt to answer; he didn't know the answer.

[Abubakar Ishaq Eazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'A set of twin brothers; in a bid to avenge years of neglect by their father; choose to seek fame. The older but frail and sickly one (Mamo) chooses the pen while the younger agile and defiant one (Lamamo) chooses the gun. Through their experiences and that of those they come in contact with, we see the history of Africa unfold before our very eyes.

'This is how I wish to remember the beautiful and scintillating tragic story told by Helon Habila in Measuring Time. But there is more...'

https://literatorscorner.blogspot.com...

[Okwunze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Measuring time is a powerful book that tells the story of two brothers who were united in their aim to achieve fame, in hatred of their father and at birth (born as a set of twins). This book resonated deeply with me regarding life in rural Nigeria, and the limitations of a child with sickle cell. Although the brothers share a considerable number of similarities, and their path while growing up and as young adults differ greatly, one cannot help but notice how complimentary they are.

[Shatterlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quiet kind of book in which not much happens but it is nicely written and does have some charm. Mamo is a bit of a book nerd who doesn’t really achieve much in the story. His twin LaMamo runs off to be a soldier and doesn’t appear much until his deus ex machina ending. I liked the Nigerian setting but would have liked Mamo to have had a stronger more proactive role.

[Yousra Ammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

💟

[Jay-René Kouassiaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching story if family, friends, and love. Highly recommend!