Hiding in Plain Sight

From an acclaimed African writer, a novel about family, freedom, and loyalty. When Bella learns of the murder of her beloved half brother by political extremists in Mogadiscio, she s in Rome. The two had different fathers but shared a Somali mother, from whom Bella s inherited her freewheeling ways. An internationally known fashion photographer, dazzling but aloof, she comes and goes as she pleases, juggling three lovers. But with her teenage niece and nephew effectively orphaned their mother abandoned them years ago she feels an unfamiliar surge of protective feeling. Putting her life on hold, she journeys to Nairobi, where the two are in boarding school, uncertain whether she can or must come to their rescue. When their mother resurfaces, reasserting her maternal rights and bringing with her a gale of chaos and confusion that mirror the deepening political instability in the region, Bella has to decide how far she will go to obey the call of sisterly responsibility. A new departure in theme and setting for the most important African novelist to emerge in the past twenty-five years ("The New York Review of Books") "Hiding in Plain Sight," is a profound exploration of the tensions between freedom and obligation, the ways gender and sexual preference define us, and the unexpected paths by which the political disrupts the personal."

About the Author :
Nuruddin Farah is the author of eleven previous novels, which have been translated into more than twenty languages and have won numerous awards. Born in Baidoa, Somalia, he lives in Cape Town, South Africa, and Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, where he is Distinguished Professor of Literature at Bard College.

Review :
Praise for "Hiding in Plain Sight" This novel Farah's 12th takes us deep into the domestic life of a sophisticated African family, with great emotional effect Each of the kids becomes starkly real in their intelligence, ingenuity, anger, and grief. Even their outrageous mother (and her selfish choices) seems credible This family, our families, Africa and Europe and America, have never seemed closer in the way we live now and this engaging novel, from its explosive beginning to its complex yet uplifting last scenes, shows us why. Alan Cheuse, NPR Absorbing and provocative [Farah s] characters are given heft through personal histories and anecdotes, and he writes evocatively about everything from Nairobi traffic to Kenyan game reserves to, importantly, how Somalis are seen not just through the eyes of others, but through their own. (4 stars) "USA Today" "Hiding in Plain Sight" may begin with a terrorist attack but this is not a novel about violence...The rewards of reading "Hiding in Plain Sight" lie in Farah s sensitive exploration of grief and his depiction of a family s love for one another Farah is particularly adept at evoking the way in which the sight of a familiar face or place can trigger painful memories and how comfort can come to us from unexpected sources. "New York Times Book Review" "If ["The Kite Runner"] was up your alley, make sure to give this a go. Farah's 12th novel spans countries, demographics, and histories, and is a pseudo-thriller that is boldly political and far-reaching." -- Martha Stewart.com, Winter Book Club Pick ["Hiding in Plain Sight"] rattles the cage of conventional thinking about family, gender, and sexuality as they apply to the African context. At once conscientious and demanding, nuanced and aggressive, it is a novel that is sure to be featured in the year-end awards lists. "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" Farah has long been a literary emissary of his native land, which political strife and civil war have turned into a nation of refugees The whole novel, in fact, might be read as a sort of map of displaced people .[and] the practicalities and mechanics of going on, conducting grief as much for a lost homeland as for a brother and father out of hiding and into the plain, often all too general, business of everyday life. "Minneapolis Star Tribune" Farah puts his skilled character development on display in this latest work [and] does a fine job illustrating the competing societal forces in African culture from the cosmopolitan nightlife of Nairobi to the pervasive violence and oppression in places like Somalia an engaging read. "The NY Daily News" A rich exploration of political and social crises [and] a sensitive story about living in the shadow of grief, learning to forgive and trying to answer the question, What does it mean to be Somali in this day and age? "Washington Post" True to Farah s style, "Hiding in Plain Sight" is strange and haunting... His writing borders on the poetic Scenes of everyday life lull us into believing the story could be unfolding anywhere, until we re jolted by mentions of blast-proof windows next to the flatscreen TV or metal detectors at the mall entrance ["Hiding in Plain Sight"] adds to an impressive four-decade body of work that has helped illuminate a country and culture that might otherwise have remained hidden behind the fog of war. "Toronto Star" Somalian writer Nuruddin Farah is known for exploring complex themes and emotions in his books and his 12th novel, "Hiding In Plain Sight" is no exception [the novel] asks bold questions: What do you do when obligation and desire collide? How far do familial obligations go? How do you move on from a deep tragedy? It also asks questions about what it means to be Somalian today, admist the chaos...If you are looking to spend [a] rainy weekend curled up with a book that will ultimately leave you feeling enlightened, you can't go wrong with this one. "NY Metro" "Farah s powerful story of a shattered family makes vivid the human repercussions of political chaos and violence." BBC.com" " Gracefully pulling together social issues with the seismography of a single family and underscoring it all with hints at the Somali diaspora of the 1990s, Farah once again offers a complex look at the struggle and joy of finding home Shelf Awareness With delicacy and compassion, Farah fashions a domestic chamber piece where motives, yearnings and regrets intersect among these complex, volatile personalities against a wider backdrop of religious and cultural conflict, social and political upheaval, and even "family values" in post-millennial Africa . An unassuming triumph of straightforward, topical storytelling that both adds to and augments a body of work worthy of a Nobel Prize. "Kirkus Reviews "(starred) Praise for "Crossbones" Politically courageous and often gripping. "The New York Times Book Review" Often reads like a taut, tense thriller . . . a thought-provoking read as well as an absorbing look into a culture and a people in extreme circumstances. "The Philadelphia Inquirer" " Praise for "Hiding in Plain Sight" "This novel -- Farah's 12th -- takes us deep into the domestic life of a sophisticated African family, with great emotional effect... Each of the kids...becomes starkly real in their intelligence, ingenuity, anger, and grief. Even their outrageous mother (and her selfish choices) seems credible ...This family, our families, Africa and Europe and America, have never seemed closer in the way we live now -- and this engaging novel, from its explosive beginning to its complex yet uplifting last scenes, shows us why." --Alan Cheuse, NPR "Absorbing and provocative... [Farah's] characters are given heft through personal histories and anecdotes, and he writes evocatively about everything from Nairobi traffic to Kenyan game reserves to, importantly, how Somalis are seen not just through the eyes of others, but through their own." (4 stars) --"USA Today" ""Hiding in Plain Sight" may begin with a terrorist attack...but this is not a novel about violence...The rewards of reading "Hiding in Plain Sight" lie in Farah's sensitive exploration of grief and his depiction of a family's love for one another...Farah is particularly adept at evoking the way in which the sight of a familiar face or place can trigger painful memories and how comfort can come to us from unexpected sources." --"New York Times Book Review" "If ["The Kite Runner"] was up your alley, make sure to give this a go. Farah's 12th novel spans countries, demographics, and histories, and is a pseudo-thriller that is boldly political and far-reaching." -- Martha Stewart.com, Winter Book Club Pick "["Hiding in Plain Sight"] ...rattles the cage of conventional thinking about family, gender, and sexuality as they apply to the African context. At once conscientious and demanding, nuanced and aggressive, it is a novel that is sure to be featured in the year-end awards lists." --"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" "Farah...has long been a literary emissary of his native land, which political strife and civil war have turned into a nation of refugees...The whole novel, in fact, might be read as a sort of map of displaced people....[and] the practicalities and mechanics of going on, conducting grief -- as much for a lost homeland as for a brother and father -- out of hiding and into the plain, often all too general, business of everyday life." --"Minneapolis Star Tribune" "Farah... puts his skilled character development on display in this latest work...[and] does a fine job illustrating the competing societal forces in African culture -- from the cosmopolitan nightlife of Nairobi to the pervasive violence and oppression in places like Somalia...an engaging read." --"The NY Daily News" "A rich exploration of political and social crises...[and] a sensitive story about living in the shadow of grief, learning to forgive and trying to answer the question, "What does it mean to be Somali in this day and age?" --"Washington Post" "True to Farah's style, "Hiding in Plain Sight" is strange and haunting... His writing borders on the poetic...Scenes of everyday life...lull us into believing the story could be unfolding anywhere, until we're jolted by mentions of blast-proof windows next to the flatscreen TV or metal detectors at the mall entrance...["Hiding in Plain Sight"] adds to an impressive four-decade body of work that has helped illuminate a country and culture that might otherwise have remained hidden behind the fog of war." --"Toronto Star" "Somalian writer Nuruddin Farah is known for exploring complex themes and emotions in his books and his 12th novel, "Hiding In Plain Sight" is no exception...[the novel] asks bold questions: What do you do when obligation and desire collide? How far do familial obligations go? How do you move on from a deep tragedy? It also asks questions about what it means to be Somalian today, admist the chaos...If you are looking to spend [a] rainy weekend curled up with a book that...will ultimately leave you feeling enlightened, you can't go wrong with this one." --"NY Metro" "Farah's powerful story of a shattered family makes vivid the human repercussions of political chaos and violence."--BBC.com "" "Gracefully pulling together social issues with the seismography of a single family and underscoring it all with hints at the Somali diaspora of the 1990s, Farah once again offers a complex look at the struggle and joy of finding home" --Shelf Awareness "With delicacy and compassion, Farah...fashions a domestic chamber piece where motives, yearnings and regrets intersect among these complex, volatile personalities against a wider backdrop of religious and cultural conflict, social and political upheaval, and even "family values" in post-millennial Africa .... An unassuming triumph of straightforward, topical storytelling that both adds to and augments a body of work worthy of a Nobel Prize." --"Kirkus Reviews "(starred) Praise for "Crossbones" "Politically courageous and often gripping." --"The New York Times Book Review" "Often reads like a taut, tense thriller . . . a thought-provoking read as well as an absorbing look into a culture and a people in extreme circumstances." --"The Philadelphia Inquirer" Praise for "Hiding in Plain Sight" "This novel -- Farah's 12th -- takes us deep into the domestic life of a sophisticated African family, with great emotional effect... Each of the kids...becomes starkly real in their intelligence, ingenuity, anger, and grief. Even their outrageous mother (and her selfish choices) seems credible ...This family, our families, Africa and Europe and America, have never seemed closer in the way we live now -- and this engaging novel, from its explosive beginning to its complex yet uplifting last scenes, shows us why." --Alan Cheuse, NPR "Absorbing and provocative... [Farah's] characters are given heft through personal histories and anecdotes, and he writes evocatively about everything from Nairobi traffic to Kenyan game reserves to, importantly, how Somalis are seen not just through the eyes of others, but through their own." (4 stars) --"USA Today" ""Hiding in Plain Sight" may begin with a terrorist attack...but this is not a novel about violence...The rewards of reading "Hiding in Plain Sight" lie in Farah's sensitive exploration of grief and his depiction of a family's love for one another...Farah is particularly adept at evoking the way in which the sight of a familiar face or place can trigger painful memories and how comfort can come to us from unexpected sources." --"New York Times Book Review" "If ["The Kite Runner"] was up your alley, make sure to give this a go. Farah's 12th novel spans countries, demographics, and histories, and is a pseudo-thriller that is boldly political and far-reaching." -- Martha Stewart.com, Winter Book Club Pick "["Hiding in Plain Sight"] ...rattles the cage of conventional thinking about family, gender, and sexuality as they apply to the African context. At once conscientious and demanding, nuanced and aggressive, it is a novel that is sure to be featured in the year-end awards lists." --"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" "Farah...has long been a literary emissary of his native land, which political strife and civil war have turned into a nation of refugees...The whole novel, in fact, might be read as a sort of map of displaced people....[and] the practicalities and mechanics of going on, conducting grief -- as much for a lost homeland as for a brother and father -- out of hiding and into the plain, often all too general, business of everyday life." --"Minneapolis Star Tribune" "Farah... puts his skilled character development on display in this latest work...[and] does a fine job illustrating the competing societal forces in African culture -- from the cosmopolitan nightlife of Nairobi to the pervasive violence and oppression in places like Somalia...an engaging read." --"The NY Daily News" "A rich exploration of political and social crises...[and] a sensitive story about living in the shadow of grief, learning to forgive and trying to answer the question, "What does it mean to be Somali in this day and age?" --"Washington Post" "True to Farah's style, "Hiding in Plain Sight" is strange and haunting... His writing borders on the poetic...Scenes of everyday life...lull us into believing the story could be unfolding anywhere, until we're jolted by mentions of blast-proof windows next to the flatscreen TV or metal detectors at the mall entrance...["Hiding in Plain Sight"] adds to an impressive four-decade body of work that has helped illuminate a country and culture that might otherwise have remained hidden behind the fog of war." --"Toronto Star" "Somalian writer Nuruddin Farah is known for exploring complex themes and emotions in his books and his 12th novel, "Hiding In Plain Sight" is no exception...[the novel] asks bold questions: What do you do when obligation and desire collide? How far do familial obligations go? How do you move on from a deep tragedy? It also asks questions about what it means to be Somalian today, admist the chaos...If you are looking to spend [a] rainy weekend curled up with a book that...will ultimately leave you feeling enlightened, you can't go wrong with this one." --"NY Metro" "Farah's powerful story of a shattered family makes vivid the human repercussions of political chaos and violence."--BBC.com "" "Gracefully pulling together social issues with the seismography of a single family and underscoring it all with hints at the Somali diaspora of the 1990s, Farah once again offers a complex look at the struggle and joy of finding home" --Shelf Awareness "With delicacy and compassion, Farah...fashions a domestic chamber piece where motives, yearnings and regrets intersect among these complex, volatile personalities against a wider backdrop of religious and cultural conflict, social and political upheaval, and even "family values" in post-millennial Africa .... An unassuming triumph of straightforward, topical storytelling that both adds to and augments a body of work worthy of a Nobel Prize." --"Kirkus Reviews "(starred) Praise for "Crossbones" "Politically courageous and often gripping." --"The New York Times Book Review" "Often reads like a taut, tense thriller . . . a thought-provoking read as well as an absorbing look into a culture and a people in extreme circumstances." --"The Philadelphia Inquirer" Praise for "Hiding in Plain Sight" "True to Farah's style, "Hiding in Plain Sight" is strange and haunting... His writing borders on the poetic...Scenes of everyday life...lull us into believing the story could be unfolding anywhere, until we're jolted by mentions of blast-proof windows next to the flatscreen TV or metal detectors at the mall entrance...["Hiding in Plain Sight"] adds to an impressive four-decade body of work that has helped illuminate a country and culture that might otherwise have remained hidden behind the fog of war." --"Toronto Star" "Farah's powerful story of a shattered family makes vivid the human repercussions of political chaos and violence."--BBC.com "" "Gracefully pulling together social issues with the seismography of a single family and underscoring it all with hints at the Somali diaspora of the 1990s, Farah once again offers a complex look at the struggle and joy of finding home" --Shelf Awareness "With delicacy and compassion, Farah...fashions a domestic chamber piece where motives, yearnings and regrets intersect among these complex, volatile personalities against a wider backdrop of religious and cultural conflict, social and political upheaval, and even "family values" in post-millennial Africa .... An unassuming triumph of straightforward, topical storytelling that both adds to and augments a body of work worthy of a Nobel Prize." --"Kirkus Reviews "(starred) Praise for "Crossbones" "Politically courageous and often gripping." --"The New York Times Book Review" "Often reads like a taut, tense thriller . . . a thought-provoking read as well as an absorbing look into a culture and a people in extreme circumstances." --"The Philadelphia Inquirer" Praise for "Hiding in Plain Sight" "Gracefully pulling together social issues with the seismography of a single family and underscoring it all with hints at the Somali diaspora of the 1990s, Farah once again offers a complex look at the struggle and joy of finding home" --Shelf Awareness "With delicacy and compassion, Farah...fashions a domestic chamber piece where motives, yearnings and regrets intersect among these complex, volatile personalities against a wider backdrop of religious and cultural conflict, social and political upheaval, and even "family values" in post-millennial Africa .... An unassuming triumph of straightforward, topical storytelling that both adds to and augments a body of work worthy of a Nobel Prize." --"Kirkus Reviews "(starred) Praise for "Crossbones" "Politically courageous and often gripping." --"The New York Times Book Review" "Often reads like a taut, tense thriller . . . a thought-provoking read as well as an absorbing look into a culture and a people in extreme circumstances." --"The Philadelphia Inquirer" Praise for "Hiding in Plain Sight" "With delicacy and compassion, Farah...fashions a domestic chamber piece where motives, yearnings and regrets intersect among these complex, volatile personalities against a wider backdrop of religious and cultural conflict, social and political upheaval, and even "family values" in post-millennial Africa .... An unassuming triumph of straightforward, topical storytelling that both adds to and augments a body of work worthy of a Nobel Prize." --"Kirkus Reviews "(starred) Praise for "Crossbones" "Politically courageous and often gripping." --"The New York Times Book Review" "Often reads like a taut, tense thriller . . . a thought-provoking read as well as an absorbing look into a culture and a people in extreme circumstances." --"The Philadelphia Inquirer" Praise for "Crossbones" "Politically courageous and often gripping." --"The New York Times Book Review" "Often reads like a taut, tense thriller . . . a thought-provoking read as well as an absorbing look into a culture and a people in extreme circumstances." --"The Philadelphia Inquirer" Praise for "Crossbones" "Politically courageous and often gripping." --"The New York Times Book Review" "Often reads like a taut, tense thriller . . . a thought-provoking read as well as an absorbing look into a culture and a people in extreme circumstances." --"The Philadelphia Inquirer"