In a North Sudanese village plagued by tragedy and rumour, sixteen-year-old Fatima watches as tensions rise and lives unravel. In Khartoum, a woman is forced to return home as war looms. A Mouth Full of Salt explores womanhood, resistance and change in a land where old prophecies meet new realities.
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Summary
In a North Sudanese village plagued by tragedy and rumour, sixteen-year-old Fatima watches as tensions rise and lives unravel. In Khartoum, a woman is forced to return home as war looms. A Mouth Full of Salt explores womanhood, resistance and change in a land where old prophecies meet new realities.
Description
A small farming village in North Sudan wakes up one morning to the news that a little boy has drowned. Soon after, the animals die of a mysterious illness and the date gardens catch fire and burn to the ground. The villagers whisper of a sorceress who dwells at the foot of the mountains. It is the dry season. The men have places to go, the women have work to do, the children play at the place where the river runs over its own banks. Sixteen-year-old Fatima yearns to leave the village for Khartoum.
In Khartoum, a single mother makes her way in a world that wants to keep girls and women back. As civil war swells, the political intrudes into the personal and her position in the capital becomes untenable. She must return to the village.
A Mouth Full of Salt uncovers a country on the brink of seismic change as its women decide for themselves which traditions are fit for purpose and which prophecies it's time to rewrite.
'Lively and engaging ...Gaafar's village characters are vivid and skilfully drawn ... A Mouth Full of Salt gives up its secrets slowly, a trait that only enhances the reading pleasure of this intricate jewel of a novel.' New Internationalist
'A Mouth Full of Salt skillfully recounts the nuanced history of two countries that were divided long before they had any say in the matter. Gaafar approaches this narrative with compassion, confronting uncomfortable truths head-on.' The New Arab
'Insightful, elegant and compelling, with a profound sense of place. Gaafar shows brilliance in the ways she weaves destinies together.' Karen Jennings, author of Crooked Seeds
'An impressive debut. I was gripped until the very last sentence.' Leila Aboulela, author of River Spirit
Awards
Winner of Island Prize 2023 (UK)
About the Author
Reem Gaafar is a writer, physician and filmmaker. Her writing has appeared in African Arguments, African Feminism, Teakisi Magazine, Andariya and 500 Words Magazine, among others. Her short story 'Light of the Desert' was published in I Know Two Sudans (Gipping Press UK, 2014) where it was awarded an Honourable Mention. Her short story 'Finding Descartes' was published in Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices (HarperVia, 2023). A Mouth Full of Salt is her debut novel and Winner of the Island Prize 2023. Gaafar lives in Canada with her husband and three sons.
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