Good Reads / Community Library Notes
Hiding in Plain Sight
Nuriddin Farah
Review by Priscilla Comen
Hiding in Plain Sight
Nuriddin Farah
Review by Priscilla Comen
Hiding In Plain Sight, by Nuriddin Farah, is the story of Bella. Her beloved brother, Aar, has been killed by a car bomb in Mogadischu. She is devastated, and rushes by plane to Nairobi to take charge of his two children. They are at a boarding school because their mother, Valerie, had fled years before with a lover. Bella had everything she wanted as a child.
As an adult she became a photographer. She loved to catch people at their ease. When she arrives at Aar’s home, his daughter is glad to see her. His son, Salif, a typical teen-ager, is sullen and defiant. Bella tries to control her emotions when she meets her niece and nephew. Hardiness is the definition of Somalia and Bella is determined to remain hardy in her meeting with them. She goes out to dinner with Valerie, their mother, and her lover, Padmini, a tall, sophisticated Somali woman. The two women bicker the entire evening. Bella does a lot of self-analyzing and comes to have faith in herself again.
Valerie and Padmini come to the house later, and tell the children they are business partners. Salif, the young boy, is doubtful. They stay overnight, and sleep in separate rooms. Author Farah describes in detail the life and customs in Nairobi. She also describes the way in which the lawyer handled the legal aspects of Aar’s death. All of his papers, the will, the passport, etc. are shown to Bella, then placed into the safe. Also in there are his computer and his mobile phones.
Author Farah tells the reader about each of Bella’s lovers. They each have a talent: one is handsome but lousy in bed, the sculptor “lived for sex and art.” Aar’s colleague, Gunilla, and Bella become good friends, go shopping together for groceries. Meanwhile, Valerie is drinking a great deal. Her lover wants to return to India as soon as she can. Author Farah shows the problems and tensions of family life and the influence of outsiders. This could be any place in the world, but is interesting in that it is Nairobi.
Bella explains to Salif how her father taught her photography and built her a darkroom. She will build one for Salif. She thinks this will help Salif in his growing-up years. The darkroom is described in detail, as are the foods prepared for get-togethers with friends. The reader could repeat the recipes for her own ethnic dinner party.
Find out how they deal with their family and ethnic problems in this interesting book in the fiction room of your Mendocino Community Library.
As an adult she became a photographer. She loved to catch people at their ease. When she arrives at Aar’s home, his daughter is glad to see her. His son, Salif, a typical teen-ager, is sullen and defiant. Bella tries to control her emotions when she meets her niece and nephew. Hardiness is the definition of Somalia and Bella is determined to remain hardy in her meeting with them. She goes out to dinner with Valerie, their mother, and her lover, Padmini, a tall, sophisticated Somali woman. The two women bicker the entire evening. Bella does a lot of self-analyzing and comes to have faith in herself again.
Valerie and Padmini come to the house later, and tell the children they are business partners. Salif, the young boy, is doubtful. They stay overnight, and sleep in separate rooms. Author Farah describes in detail the life and customs in Nairobi. She also describes the way in which the lawyer handled the legal aspects of Aar’s death. All of his papers, the will, the passport, etc. are shown to Bella, then placed into the safe. Also in there are his computer and his mobile phones.
Author Farah tells the reader about each of Bella’s lovers. They each have a talent: one is handsome but lousy in bed, the sculptor “lived for sex and art.” Aar’s colleague, Gunilla, and Bella become good friends, go shopping together for groceries. Meanwhile, Valerie is drinking a great deal. Her lover wants to return to India as soon as she can. Author Farah shows the problems and tensions of family life and the influence of outsiders. This could be any place in the world, but is interesting in that it is Nairobi.
Bella explains to Salif how her father taught her photography and built her a darkroom. She will build one for Salif. She thinks this will help Salif in his growing-up years. The darkroom is described in detail, as are the foods prepared for get-togethers with friends. The reader could repeat the recipes for her own ethnic dinner party.
Find out how they deal with their family and ethnic problems in this interesting book in the fiction room of your Mendocino Community Library.