Night of Power

Beautiful reminder of the power of tradition. Ali weaves a web of familial love that stretches and snaps us back to our origins, time and time again, holding each member up to the light that we may recognize our own flawed and perfect selves therein. Gorgeous writing!

Though implied by the title, this is not about Ramadan.
While the title itself connotes a religious and cultural tone, the book actually focuses on the social constructs within a family of refugees. The family in the story are India-Africa-Muslim, having been part of the Indian-Asian Ugandans who fled Uganda in 1972 under Ida Amin (the Butcher of Uganda). However, their past is not a central topic and is only mentioned in a flashback to provide a short background of where they came from. Their plight to Canada from Uganda is little accounted for in this tale. I thought that this might also include Indophobia because of the circumstances, however, Indophobia was not a theme or point that was brought up. The central theme revolves around the broken relationship between the family. It chronicles the dynamics between father, mother, and son.

The main characters alternate between three family members who live in Canada: Mansoor, Layla, and Ashif. The father of the household, Mansoor, strives for success in his business. He wants a better life for his family and is haunted by the memories of his own father. The mother, Layla, holds onto her heritage and religious roots although her husband has made it clear that heritage and religion are not needed in his house to be successful. Ashif, the son, grows to become a busy corporate suit, and his parents fall into his young adult life as ambiguous shadows of his past.

Different priorities and definitions of respect create friction between the family of three. They struggle to look beyond the scars of their relationships with each other in order to heal. Each character struggles with their own identity and assimilating into a new culture that often creates internal conflict.

There are a lot of Punjabi and Arabic words in this book, so I recommend reading it on a Kindle to translate if you are not familiar with Muslim customs.

I really wanted more from the characters and more from the story line, to go deeper and enter the complexity of a cultural climax but felt I only got a spoonful instead of the bowl. However, it was still an enjoyable read and I liked it. It’s a short read, being only 240 pages. Many thanks to NetGalley, Viking, and Anar Ali for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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