Edo's Souls

by Stella Gaitano, Sawad Hussain (translator)

Edo's Souls is a compelling, multi-generational epic that sees the three main characters trapped in a nation gripped by the terrors of civil war, forcing each one to confront their past selves, and to resolve what is most important to them - love, family, or country.

When a young Lucy-Eghino, who is coming of age in a 1970s village in southern Sudan, is beset by rumours of approaching violence, she has no choice but to flee - first to Juba, then northwards to Khartoum. Marco, a gentle young father, wages a daily battle to keep his family together while avoiding friction with any northerners. Peter, a soldier unsure of where his loyalties lie, is forced to carry out night raids searching for bands of rebels.

Genres: Sudan, Fiction, Africa, South Sudan, Historical Fiction, African Literature, Novels

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Anushree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edo's Souls by Stella Gaitano, translated by Sawad Hussain

This book, for me, is a prime example that sometimes even when you've read 80% of the book, you might not be able to judge it appropriately until you read till the end. The judgement may sometimes change throughout a book and can be vastly different from chapter to chapter, pov to pov.

I read this for @translatedgemsbookclub 's August read. It starts out with introduction of Maria-Edo, a Sudanese woman from a small village in South Sudan, and her fierce love for her dead children, her relationship with God fraught with the complexities of the life she lived. It then turns to Edo's only surviving child, Lucy-Eghino, and her husband Marco. The couple, fearing the violence that will be brought upon the village soon, decide to run for their lives towards Juba, and then further to the North, Khartoum. From there, we get to experience their lives with Peter and Theresa, a couple who becomes a huge part of the story. The book deals heavily with themes of patriotism, religion, migration, indigenous peoples, motherhood, feminism and family. It is a multi-pov book, that attempts to give us a holistic view of some situations and fairly succeeds in it. The translation is pretty accessible. Stella's strength of short stories reflects in how she forms narrative. My only grouse is not being able to catch the character povs till the middle of a chapter but one gets used to it after a few chapters. It packs a heavy punch, there are some beautifully poetic descriptions of memories and nostalgia, longish commentaries on military shortcomings and revolutionary ideas, and paints a fairly granular picture of a country ravaged by intense divisive politics.

Safe to say now I am intrigued to read more by Stella Gaitano and shall be looking forward to more of her works.

[Nicole Witen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect. I read this book as part of my personal Reading the World in Translation challenge, and I wanted to get a second book for South Sudan. While Gaitano sort of encompasses both North and South Sudan, I thought having a female perspective would give me further insight into South Sudan, and I was not disappointed.

The novel is set in the 70s to early 80s (more or less) and covers the rise of the movement for independence for South Sudan. The story is rich in culture and inter-cultural relationships. The story truly tries to recreate society without being trite. I learned more and more about Sudan as I read on.

The development of the characters and plot was engaging. The only thing I did not enjoy very much was the fact that each chapter had a different narrator who more or less picks up where the last character left off. Moreover, the format changes at Chapter 6. I don't know if that is a translation thing or it was written that way, but it was glaring shift. The story still worked out but it felt like the first five chapters were a different story.

I highly recommend.

[Tommie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel has two tonally distinct sections:

The first, centers on Maria-Edo, her daughter, and their community. It's written in a way that recalls Gabriel Garcia Marquez while being wholly it's own. Phenomenal.

The second, shifts POVs with each chapter, but doesn't develop all the characters well enough to make each of these as interesting as each other. It succeeds structurally- small bits of information blossom over time, but I missed the immersive world of the first two chapters.

The novel ends with the formation of the SPLM, and three very political characters (military officer, intelligence officer, and revolutionary) have certainly informed the whole book. But it's at it's best when it isn't offering up philsophical takes (the poor character of the eldest sister is mostly to be a mouthpiece), but rather watching the characters navigate through everday travails, particularly Lucy, by far the most vibrant and alive character of the whole set.

[Elizabeth White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really grew on me. I found the early part quite alienating, perhaps that was the author's intention. I am not a big fan of magical realism. As the book went on though, I was increasingly drawn into the story of the lives of all the characters living in Sudan in the 1970s at a time of political unrest. The author conjures this universe very well and makes you care about them. I learned a lot about Sudan/south sudan as well.

[Zaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)

[Berna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very powerful and impressive read.

[Marc Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Video review https://youtu.be/EPV7Gc8ZiAU