Hiding in Plain Sight Lib/E

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 several 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. Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, an Audie Award for directing, and many Earphones Awards. Her film and television acting credits include The Last Days of Disco, Primary Colors, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, New York Undercover, National Geographic's Tales from the Wild, All My Children, and One Life to Live. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors' unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering audiobook recording classes and coaching. She holds a BA degree in theater studies from Yale University, an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama, and a certificate from the British American Drama Academy in England.

Review :

"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."

"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?'"

"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."

"If [The Kite Runner] was up your alley, make sure to give this a go. Farah's twelfth novel spans countries, demographics, and histories and is a pseudo-thriller that is boldly political and far reaching."

"Robin Miles' narration is careful as well as purposeful in pronunciation, pitch, and pace. Her steadiness allows the listener to mull over and track the many characters. She uses a variety of accents when delivering dialogue. This choice helps distinguish the characters' wide range of nationalities as they interact with each other in various scenes. Miles is an experienced narrator, and her dexterity shows as she moves from one point of view to another, both male and female, keeping the listener oriented through consistent characterization."