Book review: Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela

I don't remember the last time I found myself staying up till late reading a book that I could just not put down, and then waking up early the next morning to indulge some more. I raced through Lyrics Alley and can honestly say I haven't felt this way about reading since my early teens.

Lyrics Alley is a beautifully poignant story following the lives of the great Abuzeid dynasty. With a backdrop of 1950's Sudan on the brink of independence from the British, Leila Aboulela's writing explores the conflicts and struggles of this critical period in Sudan's history, especially that of tradition against modernisation. It is the scope of the historical context that makes Lyrics Alley so different from her other two novels, Minaret and The Translator. Aboulela skillfuly carves many more characters into her writing than she has done in her previous work, and it works beautifully to evoke a very truthful social context, especially in the exploration of the lives of Sudanese women.

Despite the multiple person narratives and stories, Lyrics Alley centres on the love story of Nur, the second son of Mahmoud Bey, and Soraya, daughter of his uncle Idris Bey. Nur is a brilliant, charming young man destined to a bright future studying in London and betrothed to his childhood sweetheart. But a near-fatal accident changes all this, taking away both his dreams of studying in England and the girl he loves. The story of Nur is actually based on a true story of a famous Sudanese poet and songwriter, Hassan Awad Aboulela, who I believe is Leila Aboulela's uncle. Nur is probably my favourite character in Lyrics Alley: his life is so profoundly tragic and his passion so poignant that you cannot help but fall in love with him.

This is definately Aboulela's finest work.