BOTM December The Desert and the Drum

[Celia]

The Desert and the Drum is narrated by a young woman named Rayhana, a member of a Berber tribe, the Oulad Mahmoud. The novel is set in contemporary Mauritania, but the girl has grown up far from almost every aspect of modernity -- she has received practically no schooling, for example, and she has never handled money or visited even the small nearby city of Atar. Her tribe's lifestyle is still entirely traditional, and though Rayhana's father abandoned the family she lived in relative comfort: her mother has considerable wealth, her uncle is the tribal chief, they have slaves to attend to them.

From: https://www.complete-review.com/revie...

[Gail]

This short novel is an almost allegorical telling of the conflict between the old Bedouin ways and modern culture as found in the urban centers of Mauritania. Our Main character Rayhana is taken advantage of by a modern engineer who is looking for some diversion while out investigating mineral deposits close to Rayhana's camp. As Rayhana has no way of telling that the engineer's interest in her does not conform to the camp's courting culture, she is surprised that he does not ask for her hand in marriage. Rayhana ultimately has his child outside of wedlock, which is then taken from her by her own mother in order to hide the shame. Rayhana rages against her mother but more, she rages against her tribe that would allow her to be so abused by her own mother. This rage doesn't really, practically speaking, make sense, but as an allegory it presents a vivid picture of a woman caught between two cultures in which neither one makes sense to her and neither one will protect her or her child. The ending is not very satisfying but it does make clear how in the conflict between cultures, there are no winners.
I learned a lot about the wedding practices of the Bedouin and some about the urban centers of Mauritania.

[Celia]

Gail wrote: "This short novel is an almost allegorical telling of the conflict between the old Bedouin ways and modern culture as found in the urban centers of Mauritania. Our Main character Rayhana is taken ad..."

I plan to finish this book today. Your take on it, Gail, is BEAUTIFUL. I can add nothing to your review and thoughts. BTW, Happy and Healthy New Year.

[Gail]

Yes, Happy and Healthy New Year to you also.

[Amanda]

Happy New Year to yall as well. I meant to read this one on time (I did nominate it after all), but I experienced credit card fraud and had my scribd account suspended until I got a new one...ugh.

Gonna read asap now though. Really jazzed to get into it after reading Gail's review.

[Celia]

Amanda, My first book finished in 2022. I really liked it and know you will too, Amanda.

So sorry to hear about your fraud problem. Ugh is right.

[Amanda]

Finally got my scribd issues fixed and read this one wooo.

You were right Celia: I did really like it. I gave it 4 stars and was quite enraptured by it overall. Not sure I have much more to add than Gail already did.

I did think the author was quite successful in writing through the perspective of someone who starts as not knowing much about life outside her tribe. The way the narrative jumps around a bit in linear time also worked effectively to convey the way in which Rayhanna is torn between the different phases/experiences of her life in the tribe vs the modern world and how that muddles her perception of her life itself.

Now to hopefully read cruel city in the next couple days lol