3.5 stars

Overall, I really liked the "Tale of a Boon's Wife". The family dynamics were interesting and I liked learning about Somalia's history.

The first half of the novel was a lot stronger than the second half, in my opinion, mostly because the second half felt rather rushed. I think the novel could have profited from 50 or so pages more, just to expand on some of the events of the novel and to develop the characters further.

Can I start by thanking the author for this book, it's difficult to find historic fiction stories about Somalia . and every additional book is welcomed.

This is the story of Idil loving then marrying someone perceived as lower tribe than her and the consequence of that with the somali civil war in full swing .

I loved Idil mum more than even the main character (Idil), she tried to protect and help her daughter and family all the way thought . Tribe is big deal in Somali married and it can effect your children and life . hopefully this is changing now a days.


I absolutely disliked idil at the beginning when she was teenager , the way she was ungrateful to her parents mainly her mum , (like she tried to interfere in omar marriage match).
I know she was in her teenage years, but I liked Elmi more ( he was more compassionate) . But at the end , I started to sympathies and even care for her deeply .

The description of Somali civil war was horrific, I heard a lot of stories about people forgetting there humanity and behaving like animals, it shocked me and angered me. How a country became like this, how our own people destroyed their country.

After big incident to Idil in the middle , I couldn’t believe what happened next, there is no way a father can agree or leave that to happen without punishment. It was harrowing!!

I absolutely loved reading this book, it’s a book I am keeping for my children to read when they older, I hope to find others Somali novels out there. and of course as good as this.

I hope Ms Fartumo write more books in the future.

Tale of a Boon's Wife is set in Somalia just as the Civil War erupts and it is a serious study in tribal and class divisions. None of the women are treated well and are punished beyond what's fair. I could tell it was a debut author though.

The story follows a young Somalian girl named Idil, who falls in love with Sidow, a young man from another clan, which her family consider to be inferior. She leaves her family, wealth and status behind to marry Sidow but life isn't easy due to her family's anger initially, and made worse when civil war erupts across the country. I didn't know much about the culture of Somalia or the conflicts that take place in the book, and I found it interesting and important to read about, and to see how the characters fight to survive in such times.

I really enjoyed the way Fartumo Kusow described Somalia, the culture and the food, and there were times I almost cried at the joy, heartache and horror that Idil experiences, especially at the hands of those that were meant to protect her. I loved how Idil grew from a young girl to an older woman, and through her experiences highlighted important issues of inequality, patriarchal crimes and outdated traditions that are still present in parts of the world. I look forward to seeing what else Fartumo Kusow brings to us.

It feels like a first novel, and it feels like something close to the author’s heart so I don’t want to be overly critical.

There are many things I liked about this novel: it taught me stuff about Somalia, that there is a cast system like in India and that people are discouraged to marry across cast boundaries. That there was some prosperity and peace in this country somewhere in the 1970s or 1980s and that the government tried to abolish the cast system. I liked Idil, the main character of this novel, and I liked her pluckiness as a girl, her fidelity to her beliefs and her love as a grown woman and as a wife and mother, her courage in front of the ever darkening adversity. She does not mop around, she picks herself up and moves forward.

It is a very emotional book and while some things go as wrong as you would predict it, some things go even worse. Most readers will be drawn to Idil early on, because she is so relatable to our Western thoughts and she doesn’t understand why she should be inferior to men and marry according to their wishes and to the cast system instead of marrying for love. She is from the upper class / aristocratic caste (Bliss) and she falls in love with a young man from the lowest class possible, the Boons. We get to care about her and it’s tough to read all the hardships she goes through. It felt too much, but I guess it’s only fair game given the recent Somali history. The most heartbreaking characters are those of Idil’s mother and Idil’s sister-in-law, who have internalized the traditions and prejudices and who are blaming other women for men infidelities, or justifying decisions that are detrimental to themselves with fatalism. I wish these two characters would have been portrayed with more subtlety.

The biggest weakness of the book is in the ending, in my opinion, that feels hurried and rather illogical. Baddies in this book are really evil, and it makes no sense that Idil would fall into every trap of theirs. Despite these few problems, I still wanted to read until the last page and that’s a good enough sign.

This was a good, realistic, over-whelming story till chapter 28 (the second-to-last chapter) when the main character's abrupt (and puzzlingly ridiculous) motivations and actions derailed the entire book - at least for me.

Memorable lines:

- He removed the grass covering its tiny lower body, and broken bones protruded from skin. Fresh blood and stomach contents oozed out of each opening, matting its gray fur. One of the front paws, the only limb still intact, was outstretched, as though it had tried to reach for something beyond its grasp. It beckoned me to become a witness to the evil at hand. Omar smiled at me. “It was the bravest creature I’ve ever seen.”

- "It is important to accept while you are young, that some questions have no answers and some answers have no questions. Your life will be much easier if you curb your curiosity."

- “I don’t want to feel like my mother.”

- There was no future in the way we lived, but at least we were surviving.

- “A girl doesn’t borrow, but always has to pay the debt - always.”

Idil, a wealthy a privileged Somali woman, rejects her high status to marry Sidow, a man whom she loves. As civil war rages, Idil, Sidow and their children are forced to move to the city where danger lurks around every corner.

I thought this was a very interesting story. I know very little about Somalia or it's civil war. I am curious how much of this book is based on fact. My only complaint is that up until the marriage, the book was very detailed and rich. After the marriage, a lot of time was skipped, making the book feel very rushed. Overall, well worth picking up.

In short, Tale of a Boon’s wife tells the story of Idil, a young Somali woman who falls in love with a man from another tribe. Her family and society do not approve of this match. How dare she, a daughter of an important Bliss wants to be with a Boon?
This books is not just a love story, it is the heart-breaking tale a woman who defies the tribe culture and has to live with the consequences: poverty, homelessness and murder. This book learns us about the Somali culture and family life, the role of women in society. Knowing nothing of Somalia’s history and only familiar with the current situation in the county, I was surprized by the rapid and complete change the country has been trough in the last 30 years. Once a thriving country, now crippled by the civil war.

This starts out as a classic story of forbidden love but turns into so much more! Idil is an awesome main character; strong-willed females are my favorites. I love that the author is from Somali so she used her own experiences to paint a picture of the country: a super vivid picture that drew me right in.

This book has been released and if you (like me) know nothing about Somali and its civil war this is a great book to pick up. It was a quick and easy read, though there was some serious subject matter (there's war so unfortunately there's violence and rape)..

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2157411187

In Tale of a Boon's Wife, Fartumo Kusow leads readers on a journey to test the theory that forbidden love last the longest, yet hurts the deepest. The story takes place in the 1980's in Somalia amid political and civil unrest. The protagonist, Idil, is the privileged daughter of a military general. At an early age, Idil vows to marry for love and avoid the humiliation and degradations suffered by her mother at the hands of her philandering, domineering, and cruel father. Readers will cheer as young Idil follows her heart, but will find themselves holding their breath as the story unfolds to discover the price she will have to pay. Idil's journey is unforgettable and deeply moving.

I am grateful to Second Story Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Tale of a Boon's Wife provided to me in exchange for an honest review. I am also grateful to Fartumo Kusow for sharing such an intimidate glimpse into aspects of the Somalian culture.

This was an amazing tale of family, love, perseverance and loyalty. The writing was beautiful. I have never cried at a book and i didn't, but i was really close. The progression of the book was easy. The story of 2 people falling in love and trying to live their lives together. Their struggles and persistence was inspiring.

I really liked this book.

The Tale of a Boon’s Wife is one of the most poignant and infuriatingly heartbreaking novels that I think I have ever read and through it, I have gotten my first real glimpse into the horrifying realities of the Somalian Civil War (if anyone has any non-fiction recommendations please, please, please let me know as I would love to read further).
The narration follows Idil through everything - from the uneasy innocence and naivety of childhood, to risking everything to enter a marriage that society looks down on. She is a strong and resilient character, one who goes through such heartbreak and yet, despite all of the dangers around her, will never let anyone stop her from doing something that she believes in. I love her and I especially love her relationship with Sidow, and the contrast between her family never allowing her answers to her questions and him never hesitating to tell her what she wants to know. Theirs is a blissful relationship in a truly miserable world.
The country in which they live slowly, oh so slowly, turns into one fraught with danger, poverty and desperation as the government collapses and people become merciless as a result of their agony - for money, for housing, for anything that resembles their lives before the start of the war. Their very souls are tested and it really makes you question whether or not you’d have the strength to make the same decisions.
But aside from the harsh and callous realities of the civil unrest, Idil remains restrained by a far more pervasive structure: patriarchal society, that is present in her early years before the political turmoils and despite the collapse of nearly every part of the society, does not fall with it. The women in the novel are judged and suppressed over and over again by how society expects them to act because of their gender - from women being the sole cause of an affair, to judgement against Idil for how long it takes her to get pregnant and carry a baby to term.
This book is one that I am certain that I will not forget for a very long time for these reasons and many, many more. And it is a reminder to me of the horrors happening in the world, ones that I am often shielded away from by the country that I live in, and even though I am sometimes ignorant enough to believe that the world we live in is finally one in which all people can live each day without fear of violence, that is not the case.

Tale of a Boon's wife is a wonderfully told story about tribal differences/hatred, forbidden love, Civil war, rape, poverty, homelessness, and family betrayal all set in the cultures of the Somalian way of live. Idil, who is disowned by her father seems to go from heartbreak to heartbreak. But through her strength, courage, and sheer determination manages to hold her family together.

A Tale of a Boon's Wife takes the reader on a journey of love, hope, and courage.

I would highly recommend everyone to read this book!

My view

I wanted to like this novel. I wanted to become involved in Idil and Sidow's life on a deeper level...this did not happen. The characters remained one dimensional, for me at least.

As a whole, this novel is enlightening in understanding Somalia, what brought on the civil war in 1991.

The narration begins fifteen years earlier. Idil's childhood is an easy one, her family want for nothing, Sidow's is a childhood of poverty. As both reach the age of marriage, the harsh, cruel reality will soon become Idil, born to a Bliss tribe and Sidow, born to a Boon tribe's reality.

I wasn't able to get the rich, deep reading experience I hoped for, this is not to say it isn't a good historical novel

I do recommend this novel

This novel nicely combines the personal struggle of a woman falling in love with a member of what is considered to be a lower class in Somalia with the struggle of many women and their lives in a male-dominated society with the national struggle of civil unrest with the even bigger global struggle of refugees. All of these story lines are tied together in a great way, and cause the protagonists to be left almost completely without support, with enemies from their families to the militia all around. It is an emotional story that will make you grit your teeth at the injustices, subjugation and silencing these women have to endure, as well as how both genders just take that for granted. This book tells an almost unknown story in an unusual setting, featuring the class-struggle caused by inter-African slavery, as well as, again and again, the patriarchal rule in a traditional Muslim country. A trigger warning for rape applies, because in addition to love beyond all boundaries, things get pretty rough and ugly very quickly. One thing author Fartumo Kusow deserves major credit for is a great usage of foreign language in the novel: using the authentic original term and also explaining it immediately. In the end, the only thing I did not quite like was the circularity of the plot caused by the ... I want to call it naivety of the main character and her constantly going back to and trusting again people who have let her down before - which causes repetitions in the conflict. Otherwise, though, this is a great novel about important topics, as well as a window into an interesting culture.

WOW, I love this book. I appreciate Netgallery and Second Story Press for giving me the opportunity to preview such a moving story of a strong, young lady who struggles to live HER life amidst the inter-tribal discrimination and political turmoils in Somalia. An overall great, quick read.

As a debut, this is a strong and solid first attempt but there are still rooms for improvement. I like the fact the author incorporates a bit of suspense (i.e. who's the one to cause the mayhem to the loving family) to a simple narration of the journey of the protagonist, a "higher" class lady married to a boon who is from the "lower" class. Her decision of following her heart brings her joy, tears, bitterness, anger as well as innumerable life struggles. The author has the gift of putting together a beautiful, moving story with a tight plot. The only thing is the story is not outstanding enough to attract vast attention because of the abundance of similar stories available.

I truly think this book deserves the attention of readers who value good writing and wanting to learn something about Somalian's traditions. I look forward to the next book by the author because I seriously think she has the gift of telling story, not just any ordinary stories but some powerful ones. Again, I am glad I have stumbled upon the title by chance.

Tale of a Boon's Wife released on 10th October 2017, is by Fartumo Kusow from Second Story Press. Most of the press and reviews I've seen on this book touch on its value as a window into another culture and encouraging message of teaching and multiculturalism. While most of the audience for this book are westerners who have never been touched by civil war and murder and strife in their own homes and backyards, I agree... I would say however, that the viscerality and immediacy of this book come more from the very shared humanness we have with the characters.

For me, the power of this book comes from the compulsion to set ourselves into Idil's situation and imagine how we personally would react in the societal constraints and against the almost impossible odds she faced. Her bravery and honesty would have broken anyone else. I truly admired her decency and struggle. It was a very difficult book for me to read. I had to stop at several points, but felt truly compelled forward in the hope that Idil and her family would find peace.

The book is full of triggers, animal abuse, rape, murder, indecency, corruption, overwhelming poverty and sadness. So often, we who live in comfortable relatively safe places in the world feel ourselves shielded from 'those other places'. We surround ourselves with carefully moderated, relatively sanitized news coverage on the pain and suffering which happens on so much of the planet. This book tore away my complacency at least temporarily. It is a deeply profoundly moving book and I won't be able to forget it anytime soon.

In many ways it reminded me of The Good Earth. It's beautifully written and important. It's difficult to write deeply about this book without spoilers, but I would encourage everyone to read it. Wonderful book, superlatively written.

Five stars

Despite her family's utter rejection of her choice of husband, Idli a member of the Bliss clan, falls in love with and marries Sidow, from the Boon clan. In civil war-torn Somali, Idli tries to make a life for her husband and family. But when violence intrudes, she must hold that family together against deadly odds.

A beautiful and tragic story of Sacrificial love! I love this story because of the reality of it. This is not just a story of fiction, it's a story that brings light to the harshness of life in places many of us never see and forget exist.

A man and woman from different stations in society fall in love and start a life of beauty only to have it torn apart by senseless prejudice and hatred from her own family.

Beautifully written! Definitely a book I would suggest reading.

I love reading books about people who are different from me and this book certainly fits that bill. I enjoyed reading the story of Idil and Sidow and how they came together and how Idil has to survive once she is alone again. My heart broke many times while reading this book and I felt a part of the world that the book created. I learned a lot about people and a culture who I am interested in learning more about.