Gazelle518 Knots

A Look At War-Torn Mogadishu

Review

"Knots" is a decent book about a Somali-born Canadian woman who returns to Mogadishu to recover her family property and (perhaps) find closure after the death of her son.

The most interesting aspect of this novel was the setting. I can't verify the authenticity of Farah's portrait, but accurate or not, it's intruiging.

Otherwise, the book has a lot more potential than actual merit. The main characters are astoundingly one-dimensional. The plot allows for growth and interactions that are never realized. Very few of the potential conflicts are played out, and the ending is abrupt and hardly ties up any loose ends.

Other reviewers have had difficulty with the language (specifically, the transitions between lyrical, intellectual thoughts and elementary, colloquial dialogue) but it never bothered me.

"Knots" is interesting for the uniqueness of its subject matter and is relatively well-written, but overall lacks a plot to turn it into the moving, intellectual piece it might have been.

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