Askar

Askar is the novel’s protagonist. He was born in the small Somali village of Kallafo in about 1970. His father died fighting the Ethiopians, and his mother died giving birth to him. He is raised by a village woman named Misra. Askar views Misra as his mother and loves her dearly. At the age of eight, he moves to the Somali capital of Migadiscio in order to escape Ethiopian aggression and to live with his aunt and uncle.

The novel is written in the form of Aksar’s retrospections, as Askar considers the idea of who exactly he is and how he wishes to move forward as he enters adulthood. As a young adult, he is torn between enrolling in a univeristy and joining the military to fight the Ethiopians. The novel presents no resolution to this tension, as Askar views his identity as linked to the complex...