Song For Night

By Chris Abani

Even with the knowledge that there are some sins too big for even God to forgive, every night my sky is still full of stars; a wonderful song for night. Trained as a human mine detector, a boy soldier in West Africa witnesses and takes part in unspeakable brutality. At 12 his vocal cords are cut to prevent him from screaming and giving away his platoon's presence, should he be blown up. Awaking after an explosion to find that he's lost his platoon, he traces his steps back through abandoned villages and rotting corpses - and through his own memories - in search of his comrades. The horror of past events is relived and gradually come to terms with as he finds some glimmers of hope and beauty in this nightmarish place. 'A daring blend of horror and beauty' The Observer 'Song for Night contains, at once, an extraordinary ferocity and a vulnerable beauty all its own.' New York Times 'Song for Night is a devastating portrait of a boy holding onto the shreds of his innocence during a war that deliberately, remorselessly works to yank it away.' Los Angeles Times 'If you want to get at the molten heart of contemporary fiction, Abani is the starting point.' Dave Eggers 'Abani...brings to mind Babel, Hemingway, McCarthy.' Esquire 'Chris Abani is a writer of mesmerizing powers, embracing warmth, and transcendent compassion.' Donna Seaman in BookLust 'The genius of Abani's work derives from his intellectual engagement with our world and his unflinching depictions, in the most mesmerizing language imaginable, of its most insidious horrors and its richest beauties. Song for Night demonstrates, yet again, why Abani ranks among our most incendiary and emotionally devastating and important writers.' Miami Herald

• Language: English
• Publisher: Telegram Books
• Release date: May 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781846591303

Chris Abani

Chris Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist and the author of The Virgin of Flames, Becoming Abigail (a New York Times Editor’s Choice), and GraceLand (a selection of the Today Show Book Club and winner of the 2005 PEN/Hemingway Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award). His other prizes include a PEN Freedom to Write Award, a Prince Claus Award, and a Lannan Literary Fellowship. He lives and teaches in California.  

Reviews for Song For Night

[rburdock_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Song for Night follows the journey of Nigerian boy soldier My Luck as he endeavours to re-attach himself to his platoon, following the unexpected detonation of a mine. The platoon is a special one, one whose job is focused on reconnaissance and mine clearance, and My Luck’s particular role is in the diffusing of mines, a job for which his small stature is particularly suited. My Luck has also been ’adapted’ for mine clearance, having his voice cords severed so he is unable to scream should he be blown up and severely wounded.Narrated in the first-person by My Luck himself, Song for Night follows the boy soldier as he navigates his way across a war-torn landscape full of danger and horror. Pausing at times to reminisce on his time as a boy soldier, My Luck reveals the abominable acts he's been involved in, and the sights which have scarred his soul forever. Definitely not recommended for the faint of heat, Song for Night offers a vivid a powerful impression of what it may be like to wander a veritable ‘Hell on Earth’, in an African civil war that’s left little for salvation. There are threads of hope running through the story which keep the reader on the right side of abject despair, but overall a grim story which reveals the abhorrent consequences of war. At times My Luck's ‘visionary interludes’ can make things slightly confusing at times, but putting this aside Abani presents a truly praiseworthy piece of literature. Read it and you’ll remember it for many years to come. Just be prepared for the shocks.

[getupkid10 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Song for Night is a story of a child soldier in West Africa (possibly the author's native Nigeria?), who gets separated from his platoon. While on a mission to find them, he is chased by the memories of losing his family and girlfriend, the people that he has killed, and the possibility of his own death.

[kshaffar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Exquisitely, heartbreakingly written. A window on a world I hope never to know. Abani's prose sing and the story uncovers itself beautifully. One warning, this is not an easy read. It's brutal, but nicely done.