Crossbones by Nuruddin Farah is published in hardback by Granta Books, priced £16.99. Available now.
Nuruddin Farah is back on the bookshelves with his final instalment of the Past Imperfect trilogy.
Like Links (2004) and Knots (2007), Crossbones is set in a violent era in Somalia's history - the civil war in 2006 which saw Ethiopia invade the country to help the Transitional Federal Government in its conflict against the Islamic Court Union.
Against this backdrop of political instability, two brothers arrive in the war-torn country on separate but interlinked pursuits.
Malik, a New York-based journalist of Somali heritage, travels to Mogadiscio to write about the troubled nation.
His sibling Ahl has come to search for his missing stepson, who is allegedly training as a suicide bomber. Their narratives unfold as they are assisted by friends and relatives in their missions.
Farah delves into the gradual erosion of his country in raw detail. The harrowing novel takes a look at Somalia's history and politics amid piracy, kidnapping and violence.
8/10
(Review by Nilima Dey-Sarker)
