Publisher's Synopsis
The Nile brought them life, but the Nile was not their friend.
A small farming village in North Sudan wakes up one morning to the news that a little boy has drowned. Soon after, the animals die of a mysterious illness and the date gardens catch fire and burn to the ground. The villagers whisper of a sorceress who dwells at the foot of the mountains. It is the dry season. The men have places to go, the women have work to do, the children play at the place where the river runs over its own banks. Sixteen-year-old Fatima yearns to leave the village for Khartoum.
In Khartoum, a single mother makes her way in a world that wants to keep girls and women back. As civil war swells, the political intrudes into the personal and her position in the capital becomes untenable. She must return to the village.
A Mouth Full of Salt uncovers a country on the brink of seismic change as its women decide for themselves which traditions are fit for purpose – and which prophecies it’s time to rewrite.
A vivid, beautifully written and transportive read. Gafaar's powerful female characters show how women dealt the weakest hands claim small victories through tenacity and strength of spirit. I loved it. - Rosalind Russell, author of The End of Where We Begin
Insightful, elegant and compelling, with a profound sense of place. Gaafar shows brilliance in the ways she weaves destinies together and shares truths like all the best fiction writers. - Karen Jennings, author of Crooked Seeds
This beautiful novel tells the story of all of Sudan – its rituals, joys and sorrows, full and dry nights, stability and displacements. - Amir Tag Elsir, author of The Grub Hunter
