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Summary: In the Land of the Shape Shifters
Review: I was introduced to the writing of Nuruddin Farah several years ago when a friend gave me one of his books. I loved it so much, and I was so impressed with Farah's writing, that I've made a point to keep up with everything he publishes. Although LINKS is not quite my favorite work of Farah's, I think it is both wonderfully and powerfully written. It is certainly an important book for any serious reader.

Farah, a native of Somalia, sets his books in that sad, war torn country, but LINKS could so easily echo what is happening in other countries of Africa at the present time as well as in Haiti.

The protagonist of LINKS is Jeebleh, a native born Somalian who has lived in the US with his American wife and their family for twenty years. The death of his mother, however, forces him back to Mogadishu, despite the fact that he was once a political prisoner and then exiled. His purpose is twofold: he wants to locate his mother's grave and he wants to help find the kidnapped niece, Raasta, of his dear friend and one time comrade, Bile.

When Jeebleh arrives in Mogadishu, he finds a Somalia that is quite different from the one he left. If anything, the people are even more bloodthirsty than before. In fact, there is a strange man, Af-Laawe, who meets Jeebleh at the airport. Although claiming to be charitable, Af-Laawe is quite corrupt.

Jeebleh's reunion with Bile isn't what he imagined it would be, but they both come into contact (and conflict) once again with Bile's cruel half-brother, Caloosha. Caloosha is the man, who, many years earlier, jailed both Bile and Jeebleh. Now, Caloosha is even more powerful than before and Bile and Jeebleh expect him of masterminding the abduction of Raasta (you will have to read the book to find out if he did or not).

By the end of the book, Jeebleh is definitely not the same man as the one who arrived in Mogadishu. He has changed, and it will be a matter of opinion as to whether you think he's changed for the worse or is simply "more realistic."

LINKS is beautifully written, despite two or three awkward phrases. Although English is not Farah's native language, it is the language in which he chooses to write and personally, I think he does a wonderful job. LINKS is a disturbing book because it deals with happenings that are all too real and the vignettes of war torn Somalia that pepper the book are so very vivid and real they are painful. Jeebleh's dream sequences were so beautifully written and I loved them. I thought they added much to the book, but readers looking for stark realism might not care for them as much as I did.

LINKS is a very sophisticated and very important book, written by one of Africa's premier writers. I would strongly recommend that every serious reader read LINKS as well as Farah's other books. Not only are they beautifully written and compelling, they are enlightening as well.

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Summary: The Shifting Terrain of a Civil War
Review: In LINKS, a novel set in Somalia after the U.S. "peacekeeping" invasion, Nuruddin Farah has created a powerful psychological landscape of a people torn by civil war. Jeebleh arrives via airplane in Mogadiscio and at once witnesses the senseless murder of a ten year old German boy. When he learns that the teenagers who shot the boy kill for sport, he realizes his beloved country has sunk further than he had imagined. This Somalia is not a land of logic, not one of law and order. Yet, Jeebleh, once a political prisoner, has returned to his homeland for reasons which aren't readily apparent and which put his life in danger. His childhood friends, half-brothers who were raised by Jeebleh's mother as her own sons, oppose each other, thus bringing the precarious nature of this civil war deep into Jeebleh's personal life. Bile is Jeebleh's dear friend, a pacifist, medical doctor, and idealist who runs a refuge for those displaced by the war; Bile has suffered greatly during a lengthy imprisonment and still bears the scars. Caloosha, Bile's older half brother, is a war lord, torturer, and former captor of both Jeebleh and Bile. Caloosha is now suspected of being behind the kidnapping of Bile's charmed and beloved niece Raasta and her playmate. Raasta, who is seen as a miracle child and peacemaker, has become a symbol of hope for many, and her recovery has implications not only for those who love her but for Somalia as a whole.

In Farah's Somalia, no one can be trusted. Suspicions run so deep that an enemy can be a temporary savior and a friend can endanger one's life. It is a land scarred by gunshot and desperate poverty. Despite its harrowing decline, Farah's deep affection for his homeland radiates in his descriptions. His sorrow for what has happened resonates in every word. As Jeebleh makes his way through the maze of what's left, we are shown the many sides of modern Somalia and the repercussions of its division.

This spectacular novel, despite its emotional force, does have its weaknesses, though they are minor compared to the rewards. Farah's detailed description of Jeebleh's dreams, which alternate between the cryptic and the heavy-handed, add little to the real-life nightmare before him. And the writing (English is not Farah's native language) is occasionally awkward and peppered with similes such as "Bile's features had roughened at the edges, like frozen butter exposed to sudden heat" and "the omelette, which was as cold as a morgue." In these instances, Farah seems to be working too hard to impress - and failing at it - when his honest, direct style does so much more to win over the reader. This straightforward storytelling, used to describe a world that is everything but straightforward, brilliantly evokes the frightening chaos.

LINKS is an important literary achievement that deserves to be widely read. Farah's honesty and keen eye have brought a little-understood country and its culture into sharp focus. Unlike the characters he portrays, Farah can be trusted, for his guidance through the labyrinth of a destroyed Somalia is both authoritative and loving.

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Summary: Journey into a Dantean Hell .
Review: This was a provocative ,inspiring read . Farah takes us to a place that exists in the present but is also surreal . It is a story of redemption and self -exploration ,written in a true voice .
I thouroughly enjoyed the intimacy of Farahs writing . The characters were real and represented both good and evil . Sometimes within the same persona ! Nuruddin Farah has taken us to a place that we could never fully appreciate without his flourishing prose.
This novel should be read by anyone who wishes to explore the inner recesses of the Somalian culture and the pathos that exists during any rebellion .