A Line in the River: Khartoum, City of Memory

From a country that most Americans probably can’t find on a map, we get an intimate portrait of it’s capitol city by someone who is intimate with it. It is Khartoum, the capitol of Sudan, a city that lies at the intersection of the two branches of the Nile river and is the main city of a country that has been racked by conflict for decades. And if people do recognize the name, they are probably only going to know Darfur. Jamal Mahjoub gives us a part memoir, history, and travelogue of this vastly interesting city that is often full of contradictions, as most major cities are. He goes back to his home neighborhood, meets relatives he has not seen in awhile, and explores how the urban landscape has changed. Each part of the book covers a different time period when he visited Sudan, so we as the reader get to see how the city has changed between his visits, whether it is the height of the Darfur conflict, the peace agreement with South Sudan, or other major events. Hopefully this highly entertaining, fascinating, and engaging book will help open readers’ eyes to this largely forgotten country.