Title- River Spirit
Author- Leila Aboulela
Publisher- Grove Press
Rating- 4/5
Summary- Akuany is a motherless girl who lives in a village on the bank of the White Nile in Sudan. She loves the river and seems to know its language. A young merchant, Yaseen, from Khartoum, comes to buy gum from her father. One such time, when he is visiting them, her village is raided and set on fire. The raiders kill her father. Akuany and her brother Bol are luckily saved. Yaseen takes them along with him on his way back and promises to take care of them. It is also the time of the uprising of the self-proclaimed Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam. It starts to put the Ottoman rule of Sudan at stake, and a time comes when each person has to take a side. Yaseen, a scholar of Islam, refuses to take the Mahdi's side and faces the consequences. Though circumstances force Akuany to move throughout the country from one master to another, she can never forget Yaseen. This novel tells the history of Sudan, from the rise of the false Mahdi and the collapse of Ottoman rule to its British conquest in 1898.
Review- The author has meticulously portrayed the condition of Sudan during the time. The power struggle between the Turks and the revolutionary leader has been perfectly expressed. The tension between Britain and Sudan is also aptly described. It was very disheartening to learn about the slave trade, which was prevalent when humans were treated like commodities, exploited and tortured by their masters. Even though the book has quite a few mentions of Islamic scriptures, the author's choice of words and lucid language made it easier for a non-Muslim like me to understand it perfectly.
The story is told from the point of view of nine characters which include supporters of Ottoman rule, followers of the false Mahdi and British nationals. This helps the readers to get a clear perspective from different angles. Akuany and Yaseen are the main characters. Akuany is an orphaned tribal girl rescued by Yaseen, but ill fate makes her land into the clutches of slavery, sold from one house to another. Yaseen is a young merchant who always finds solace in books. He leaves his family business to go to Egypt and study Islamic scriptures. While she is illiterate, he is a learned man. Both of them are different in so many ways; however, they have one thing in common, they are drawn to each other.
This book brings to light a story where, even though for a short period, the Sudanese had overthrown foreign rule and gained independence until its British annexation in 1898. I have thoroughly enjoyed the story. The time when I was reading it, I was temporarily transferred to Sudan during the time of the revolution, as if seeing the incidents with my own eyes. I would highly recommend this book to others.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book.
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