Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela is a wonderful novel set in northern Sudan and Egypt during the 1950's, when Sudan was gaining it's independence from Britain.
This is a deeply moving story of the Abuzeid family led by Mahmoud Abuzeid, the patriarch, with his 2 very different wives (one very traditional and one modern) and their children and extended families. It highlights the cultural differences between Muslims in Sudan and Cairo at the time.
The novel is inspired by the life of Aboulela's uncle, the poet Hassan Awad Aboulela. Although it is in many ways a tragedy, there is such life force and hope and beauty coming from these characters, that I liked almost all of them. I would haved liked more of a glimpse of life outside of the wealthy households of the Abuzeid family so that I could have been transported more deeply into the place at that time.
However, I really liked this book, especially Aboulela's message- that even though the poet seemed to be the tragic character, in the end it is his words alone that will live on eternally to inspire generations.
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