Leila Aboulela
Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela is a collection of thirteen short stories dealing with variations of the same theme: immigrants negotiating their presence in an unfamiliar country while feeling the tug of home with its familiar sights, sounds, smells, and textures.
The stories illustrate the challenges and rewards of being an immigrant in a foreign land. Aboulela captures the alienation and loneliness of immigrants as they straddle between two cultures. They struggle to assimilate in their adopted country as they attempt to forge a new identity for themselves. But the yearning for the familiarity of home is a constant presence in their hearts and minds. The tension can be manifested internally or externally and it can take many forms.
One such conflict is between first generation immigrants and their children born in the West. In “Summer Maze,” for example, a young girl is at odds with her mother and resents their compulsory annual visits to Egypt. The tables are turned in “Something Old, Something New,” which shows a Scottish man struggling to adjust to his position as an outsider when he goes to Khartoum to meet his fiancé’s family. “Farida’s Eyes” illustrates how sexist attitudes toward a girl’s education almost cause her to fail in school. “The Ostrich” shows how a former classmate on a plane reminds a young woman of all she cherishes in her home, reinforcing her feelings of alienation in a foreign land. In “Souvenirs” we see young man in search of souvenirs from Khartoum to take back to his Scottish wife. He carries with him his own intangible souvenirs—images of his homeland and snippets of conversations with his sister as he prepares to return to Scotland. “The Museum” shows a young Sudanese student from a wealthy family finding herself attracted to and in conflict with her Scottish classmate.
The stories approach the experience of immigrants in their adopted country from different angles. Some have internalized racism and try to diminish the positives in their own culture. Others recognize the opportunities presented in their adopted country but still long for the texture and beauty of their homeland. Some are eager to assimilate, while others cling firmly to their identity. But they all have in common an awareness of their status as outsiders. Their lives are fraught with tension. And they all yearn for a place to belong, a place where they no longer feel isolated or as aliens on a different planet.
The stories are well written and immerse the reader in the warp and weft of the lives of immigrants. But since the stories are variations of the same theme, some have the flavor of being repetitive and of trying too hard to reiterate the common dilemma facing immigrants. Nevertheless, this is a good collection of short stories and is recommended for its thought-provoking insights and sensitive portrayal of the challenges facing immigrants.