Karttoja

A story about a young man in Somalia, set in the time of Ogaden crisis. Themes include identity, both personal and ethnic, as the young man's parents have died, and he is raised by a woman who is an ethnic outsider in the Ethiopian town inhabited mostly by Somalis.

It is a well-written book, but also rather heavy and at times confusing. Too intellectual and poetic for me; I'd have preferred a clearer plot and less having to wonder and interpret what the different dream sequences mean – but I'm straightforward that way.

Still, this was an interesting view on a subject different from what I usually read, so worth reading.