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siria's review
3.0
Given its setting—Somalia in the mid-1980s—Gifts is a strikingly upbeat, almost comic novel. Farah is determined to present a portrait of his country and its people which contradicts many Western preconceptions about it. Through the story of Duniya, a nurse and the once-widowed, once-divorced mother of three children, Farah depicts a country which has been hindered, not helped, by foreign aid—a people whose future may lie in refusing, not accepting, gifts. Farah's prose has an admirable deftness of touch, and I'll definitely be seeking out works of his in the future.
vtlism's review
4.0
i learned from this that i can still complete reading books. nice.
other than that, the tone and subtle pov shifts are pleasant from a writerly stance, and i was impressed with how well farah pulls off an honest female perspective.
the critter imagery and dreams got a little tedious, but i did enjoy the perhaps heavy-handed comparison between the power relations between genders and countries (or continents). i hadn't read fiction that addresses modern african issues before, & enjoyed the complexity (perhaps based on novelty of the concepts) of it and the simplicity with which farah gets it out.
i guess what i mean to say is that there's a lovely, skilled, gentle interweaving of theme and issues within story. i wished i'd had this to recommend as an example when the kid i tutored a couple years ago said she simply could not comprehend that activist/feminist slogan "the personal is political".
i also found his chapter structure in part 1 charming, whereas it could have easily been cloying. it's a pleasure to read a writer who consciously makes his structure unique, but not flashy.
other than that, the tone and subtle pov shifts are pleasant from a writerly stance, and i was impressed with how well farah pulls off an honest female perspective.
the critter imagery and dreams got a little tedious, but i did enjoy the perhaps heavy-handed comparison between the power relations between genders and countries (or continents). i hadn't read fiction that addresses modern african issues before, & enjoyed the complexity (perhaps based on novelty of the concepts) of it and the simplicity with which farah gets it out.
i guess what i mean to say is that there's a lovely, skilled, gentle interweaving of theme and issues within story. i wished i'd had this to recommend as an example when the kid i tutored a couple years ago said she simply could not comprehend that activist/feminist slogan "the personal is political".
i also found his chapter structure in part 1 charming, whereas it could have easily been cloying. it's a pleasure to read a writer who consciously makes his structure unique, but not flashy.
teelight's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this book. It definitely isn't for everyone. There isn't a lot of plot in the book. It is a little bit closer to something like Proust. We're just following a character in her day to day life rather than following some one that is fighting an opposing force or something. Due to that the book kind of wanders. If you like Farah's writing style it's a great read from beginning to end. If the writing style isn't really compelling for you maybe give this one a pass.
One of my favorite parts of the first book in this trilogy was the way Farah structured his narrative. Maps is bonkers in its construction and I love it for that. The story in Gifts is told in a much more 'traditional' way. It is in third person throughout and the order of events is chronological. Farah still manages to make the structure really interesting in this book too though. At the beginning of each chapter there is a short blurb about what is going to happen in the next section. It reminds me of European and American writing from around the protestant revolution to about 1800. Authors during that time would do the same thing and I get the feeling the blurbs at the beginning of each chapter are a reference back to that. It makes this read a little bit like a morality tale. I feel more confident in that because nearly every chapter has a story within the story that ties back to the theme of the book. Usually those inserts are news stories. I'm not sure if they are all real news articles, but some of them do read that way. It's a more subtle way to change the narrative style, but that's what this story calls for.
The theme in this book is really interesting too. Maps was all about the borders we make between individuals, groups, and countries and how those borders change depending on who is telling the story. Gifts is about the cost associated with accepting gifts from other people. For the most part the gifts are given between people and everything comes with a cost. Rarely the cost is money. Most of the time it is that the gift giver expects love, companionship, or control over another person through the gift. That is to mirror the way charity and relief is given to African countries by European countries and America. Just to drive that home there is even an exchange between two characters that is literally pointed out to mirror that. It's a good way to show the impact that comes with giving when expecting something in return.
I also really like the main character Duniya. She is a complicated character and definitely doesn't fall one way or the other on a morality scale. She is just a woman living in the world. Normally if there were multiple chapters devoted to someone learning to drive or swim I would be annoyed, but some how Farah made those chapters nice to read. Her older daughter wants a nice pair of jeans and is coming into her own as an adult, her son might be gay (it's hinted but also a bit of a stretch, so the reader can decide on that one), and her younger daughter really wants to watch ET. That all just makes Duniya relatable and I wish the story was longer. I want to spend more time with her.
I would definitely recommend this book to people. I would honestly say this one is probably the better one to start the trilogy with. Maps is so experimental it can be a bit overwhelming. The books in the trilogy aren't connected with each other. Each one stands on its own, so it is perfectly fine to read them out of order. They just share themes and settings.
One of my favorite parts of the first book in this trilogy was the way Farah structured his narrative. Maps is bonkers in its construction and I love it for that. The story in Gifts is told in a much more 'traditional' way. It is in third person throughout and the order of events is chronological. Farah still manages to make the structure really interesting in this book too though. At the beginning of each chapter there is a short blurb about what is going to happen in the next section. It reminds me of European and American writing from around the protestant revolution to about 1800. Authors during that time would do the same thing and I get the feeling the blurbs at the beginning of each chapter are a reference back to that. It makes this read a little bit like a morality tale. I feel more confident in that because nearly every chapter has a story within the story that ties back to the theme of the book. Usually those inserts are news stories. I'm not sure if they are all real news articles, but some of them do read that way. It's a more subtle way to change the narrative style, but that's what this story calls for.
The theme in this book is really interesting too. Maps was all about the borders we make between individuals, groups, and countries and how those borders change depending on who is telling the story. Gifts is about the cost associated with accepting gifts from other people. For the most part the gifts are given between people and everything comes with a cost. Rarely the cost is money. Most of the time it is that the gift giver expects love, companionship, or control over another person through the gift. That is to mirror the way charity and relief is given to African countries by European countries and America. Just to drive that home there is even an exchange between two characters that is literally pointed out to mirror that. It's a good way to show the impact that comes with giving when expecting something in return.
I also really like the main character Duniya. She is a complicated character and definitely doesn't fall one way or the other on a morality scale. She is just a woman living in the world. Normally if there were multiple chapters devoted to someone learning to drive or swim I would be annoyed, but some how Farah made those chapters nice to read. Her older daughter wants a nice pair of jeans and is coming into her own as an adult, her son might be gay (it's hinted but also a bit of a stretch, so the reader can decide on that one), and her younger daughter really wants to watch ET. That all just makes Duniya relatable and I wish the story was longer. I want to spend more time with her.
I would definitely recommend this book to people. I would honestly say this one is probably the better one to start the trilogy with. Maps is so experimental it can be a bit overwhelming. The books in the trilogy aren't connected with each other. Each one stands on its own, so it is perfectly fine to read them out of order. They just share themes and settings.
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