BookBrowse Reviews Ghost Season by Fatin Abbas

BookBrowse:

A vivid, character-driven novel that unfolds during the Second Sudanese Civil War.

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Ghost Season is the debut novel of writer Fatin Abbas, a recipient of the Bernard Cohen Short Story Prize and the Miriam Weinberg Richter Award. Our First Impressions reviewers were taken in by its evocative setting, and 25 out of 26 readers rated it 4 or 5 stars.

What the book is about:

In her first novel, Fatin Abbas pulls together the lives of five very different people against the backdrop of the Second Sudanese Civil War (see Beyond the Book). As the book opens, the five main characters are living and working together at an NGO. Alex, a white American aid worker, seems to be the "odd man out" of the five, at times refusing to understand the customs of the country in which he has been assigned. His impatience is a hindrance and embarrassment to his translator William, who is trying to guide Alex through the bureaucracy of the Sudanese government. William is discovering that he is deeply in love with the compound cook Layla, and Dena, a Sudanese American filmmaker, struggles with the homeland she barely remembers and the identity she is trying to forge for herself. Intertwined among them is Mustafa, a twelve-year-old who is working to support his widowed mother and younger brother. As the reader comes to know these five people, a tragic turn of events accelerates the story toward the end (Patricia G).

Reviewers were struck by the novel's vivid characters and setting.

I could visualize Saraaya, smell the dust, hear the noise of the crowded marketplace and imagine the people. Fatin Abbas's five main characters introduce the reader to Sudan and through a well-written story allow us to see the humanity and tragedy and challenges of living in a conflict-torn country. These characters will be remembered and invite some great discussion for book clubs (Barbara O). Because the characters have diverse backgrounds and reasons for being in Sudan, they offer sharply varying perspectives on the events and circumstances around them. We can feel the heat, the sense of dislocation and the fears of the characters but also their emerging humanity (Shelley S). At an NGO compound, Sudanese American documentarian Dena is filming scenes from daily life, and her keen eye contributes to the cinematic quality — reading this novel often feels like watching a powerful movie (Helia R).

Some appreciated being able to learn about recent history in the Sudanese region.

This history is so recent and important, and yet I have come across very few novels that highlight the conflict in Sudan. Because we hear from five different voices, we see the motivation behind actions we might normally question and Abbas demonstrates how complicated and tenuous the situation is for each of the five (Lucy S). The interactions of the characters in this book are so interesting that it is easy to overlook the fact that Ghost Season is important historical fiction. South Sudan only became a separate country in 2011. Like so much of the African continent, the original people of Sudan were colonized and inequalities became entrenched. This history permeates the plot (Rebecca R).

Others mentioned that the book includes violent and difficult content, but stressed that this content is balanced by the beauty of the story.

Unsurprisingly given the setting, this is an intense read, with much challenging content. It isn't unrelenting, as there are also lovely portrayals of kindness and care, and much of the writing itself is really beautiful — I more than once found myself going back to read a sentence or phrase several times for the sheer enjoyment of the author's language, especially word choices (Susan B). For some reason, I procrastinated in reading this book. Perhaps it was because I feared the setting in Sudan would be grim and poverty stricken. Indeed, the residents of Saraaya live a life most of us would find difficult to endure. However, Fatin Abbas has created some of the most vivid and realistic characters I have encountered in years. Just as the filmmaker, Dena, carefully frames her photos to present the picture she wants, Abbas sketches her characters to perfection. What a welcome treat! (Gail H).

Overall, reviewers maintained that, at its core, Ghost Season is a heartfelt tale about people and relationships.

In addition to the many lessons to be learned about the geopolitical power structure of Sudan in 2002, the novel is at heart a love story about families forged and found (Helia R). Ghost Season is beautifully written with clear and colorful descriptions of the people of southern Sudan as well as their land and culture. The characters are vivid and well-drawn and a few of them will live with me for a long time. I will not soon forget this eloquent story (Nancy L).

This review first ran in the February 15, 2023 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.