Review: The Lion's Binding Oath

The Lion's Binding Oath

Ahmed Ismail Yusuf

As soon as I started the first story in this book I was hooked. I couldn't help but feel for the young nomad who gets caught outside at night away from his flock and family. The same was true for The Mayxaano Chronicles. I enjoyed getting to the know the characters, and I loved the fact that the stories moved through the significant events in their lives showing the changes that were occurring in Somali culture, society, and politics. While war and conflict loom in some of these stories I like the fact that war and strife did not dominate the book. The fact that it focused instead on individuals and how they coped with everyday occurrences made it hard for me to put the book down.

To anyone who has read or intends to read this book, it will come as no surprise that my favorite story was The Lion's Binding Oath. In this tale, Hassan gets separated from his family on a trek to find a refugee camp, and he is forced to rely on an oath with a lion he names Kamal, to find a path to his future. It was touching and moving, and I found the author had a way of making me feel included in his enchanting stories. I hope Mr. Yusuf is hard at work on more tales from Somali because I know I want to read more.

Thanks to Catalyst Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.