Nile Blues eBook Maha Ayoub
Download As PDF : Nile Blues eBook Maha Ayoub 
What could a half-Christian veiled African, a tennis-playing millionaire socialite with Ottoman ancestors, a Nubian masquerading as her own children's missing father, a top executive hiding a shameful secret, and a burqa-clad ultra conservative abandoned wife, possibly have in common?
For one, they share a dilapidated office in a derelict Kafka-esque bureaucracy, together with the local other-worldly inhabitant an invisible evil Jinn, apparently intent on killing them all.
And that's just the easy part.
The ladies' placid routine is turned upside-down when they are ordered to move into a new modern building, a prospect even more distressing than the vicious civil war raging in their country for over fifty years.
Five women, five very different women, undergo the death of a decrepit, post-colonial, multi-cultural and ethnically diverse country, and the subsequent agonizing birth of two new, and probably still-born, uniform ones. History is in the making, and the reader witnesses it through their eyes, tastes it through their lives, and shares their inability to alter the course of historical events; events that will transform their relations with each other, test their ability to hold their families together, or recreate them in a strange new reality.
"Nile Blues" is an ironic take on a rigid society ruled by religious and political taboos, riven by ancient racial divides, and whose very fabric has been eroded by a bizarre mix of archaic superstition and state-of-the-art corruption.
The story, narrated by the characters in their own words and through their scathingly irreverent wit, unfolds a tapestry of overlapping and conflicting desires and fears, personal and collective, woven together by the placid river, the Blue Nile, the undercurrent that both unites and divides.
Nile Blues eBook Maha Ayoub
Ms. Ayoub's compassionate, poignant and at times playfully humorous portrayal of the lives of 5 Sudanese women interweaves their personal stories with political and social commentary and drama that is incisive, witty, sensitive and always thought-provoking.Thanks to Ms. Ayoub's insightful and provocative story telling, whatever I read about this struggling country in the future will be with a keener, deeper and more personal interest.
I hope another equally delightful and compelling narrative is in the works!
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Nile Blues eBook Maha Ayoub Reviews
This novel takes the form of a series of "scenes of Khartoum" life, held together by a narrative thread. The scenes are by turns insightful, touching, engaging, sad and humourous. The principal characters, mainly women, who feature in the scenes cleverly illustrate different facets of Sudanese society, often with a strong feminist slant. Collectively they introduce and comment on life in modern Khartoum and recent Sudanese history.The novel is fun, instructive, perceptive and a little poignant. An enjoyable and rewarding read for anyone with an interest in Sudan.
I have just finished reading the "Nile Blues" . I enjoyed every bit of it , and I can now say, without hesitation, that a writer is born. Last time I was so excited was some time ago when I discovered , by mere chance in Barnes and Nobles, the Sudanese novelist , Laila Aboul-ela writing in a language other than our own Arabic language. And with such dexterity in both cases.
In writing fiction about such a troubled time in Sudan's history, Maha Ayoub takes a big risk the events in the "Nile Blues" are so contemporary and so complex that it is a real literary prowess to be able to take the necessary distance in depicting situations and characters .
"Nile Blues" is indeed a deep soul- searching operation, consistently defying some die-hard Sudanese taboos of the intellectual and collective sub-conscience, notably "race" relations, ridiculous religious edicts, dangerous notions of politics, war and religion (poor religion!) among others. It is also an excursion into the Kafkaesque bureaucracy that characterizes public administration in Sudan, a mirror of a failed society.
The intrinsic value of the novel, at its best, resides , however ,in the space given for the expression of simple yet complex human sentiments and feelings such as envy, suspicion (Sherine the spy), superstition ( the Shaikh and the curse), fear of the unknown, uprooting etc... In this context, the Kosti inferno episode is indeed the most poignant segment of the novel. Seen through the eyes of a terrified mother ,It is a powerful reminder that the secession of the South is a huge tragedy for the men and women who suddenly find themselves belonging nowhere, stuck in a land of oblivion between a paradise lost (in relative terms ) and an elusive new homeland full of promises and chimeras. No journalistic or political rhetoric could have better spoken about the despair and agony of the southerners living in limbo. I have always despised the pettiness of those who govern us , in the North as in the South, and their cynical designs. All the evil done by them took a consolidated shape in that single scene.
Now for some small blemishes in the novel
The novel is slightly overloaded with explanatory foot notes that tend to distract the reader's attention , at least as far as I am concerned, from the fiction ( albeit very briefly each time). The cumulative impact is that a work of art tends to resemble at times a scholarly essay or research paper in some parts. Some foot note references were of course necessary as the target reader is obviously not familiar with Sudanese ( very local in nature) expressions. Others however could have been safely avoided , together with the expressions themselves as they have no value added in the first place.
The two political meetings organized by the Government and the SPLM also slow down the momentum of action . They are relatively too long and may not have a clear function in the structure of the novel other than of stressing an already well established point. However , Maha Ayoub's sense of humor, saved such scenes from being a bore. Still , some subtlety is recommended.
Another shortcoming , which is purely technical and absolutely independent of the writer's will is the font. It spoils the pleasure of reading such an accomplished literary work. The "Nile Blues" deserve better.
Thank you Maha for having ended, against all odds , on an optimistic note ( however unrealistic , but hey! that is why it is fiction after all ). I appreciate the symbolism of blessing the " barren" Layla with two children in one go at the end of her life- time biological ordeal of being unable to give life. Perhaps one day in the not so distant future, Sudan's sterility will give place to some unexpected fertility. But as in the case of Layla , it would take tons of luck and divine intervention for such a miracle to materialize.
I am already looking with anticipation to the next novel. Don't let us wait for too long.
Alfatih Hamad
This editing is made on July 27,2012
After going through the second print of the book , with all the improvements on the substance and the form, I am inclined to review my rating of this splendid work of art.Indeed , the author has , among other things, revised much of the dialogue and smoothed it out with description, which was lacking in the 1st print. it now makes for a flowing read , with more authentic Sudanese expressions and jargon .Four stars(if not five) would definitely be more appropriate and I am upgrading the rating without the slightest hesitation. it is important to specify that it is not only the technical improvements that prompted me to reevaluate the Nile Blues but also an altogether new dynamic introduced here and there , notably in the scenes depicting political meetings and brain washing sessions. Again , thanks Ms. Ayoub and please give us more.
I read this book with a lot of interest as it touches on some of the most sensitive issues in Sudanese society where a code of silence and taboos have been imposed for too long. This book is a cry for freedom, socially and politically, and for the empowerment of women in the society. Well done, ambassador Maha!
Very good read
I truly enjoyed every moment I spent reading this beautiful novel by Maha Ayoub.
The gallery of characters is rich and diverse. The author has an exceptional ability in portraying sudanese (and south-sudanese) women, their personal and professional life in a very complex society, going through major historical events.
I was also intrigued by her sense of humour and her irony, and by the depth of her psychological analysis.
In sum, a very moving and beautiful book, which offers a fresh (completely different) perspective on the Sudan.
Ms. Ayoub's compassionate, poignant and at times playfully humorous portrayal of the lives of 5 Sudanese women interweaves their personal stories with political and social commentary and drama that is incisive, witty, sensitive and always thought-provoking.
Thanks to Ms. Ayoub's insightful and provocative story telling, whatever I read about this struggling country in the future will be with a keener, deeper and more personal interest.
I hope another equally delightful and compelling narrative is in the works!
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