Red Birds

I hadn't read any of Mohammed Hanif's writing before so went into Red Birds with no preconceptions and absolutely loved every page of this novel. The story is told mostly through three points of view (although others join in the later stages): American pilot, Major Ellie; local teenager, Momo; and Momo's dog, Mutt. Don't be put off by the idea of a talking dog. Mutt's humour did remind me a little of Manchee in The Knife Of Never Letting Go however Mutt only 'speaks' to us, not to the other characters, and his chapters are brilliant!

Red Birds is primarily set in a refugee camp, possibly in Pakistan, possibly not. The people there have been living in makeshift accommodation and relying on charitable handouts for years and, as an illustration of the dire straits in which they live, part of the camp sign has disintegrated leaving them technically just 'fugees'. Hanif's writing is dotted with such original notions as this and I love his eye for detail. Momo's mother somehow manages to create adequate meals for her family every day and the appearance of Major Ellie as another mouth to feed hardly fazes her, yet being unable to flavour the food properly because there is never any salt drives her to distraction.

Despite the extreme poverty depicted, there is a lightness to Hanif's writing that makes Red Birds very readable and entertaining. I was easily drawn in to the story and wasn't actually consciously aware of the darker aspects starting to surround me although I did notice myself beginning to feel uneasy as the novel progressed. There are several unanswered questions and we don't know whose version of events is the one we should believe. I won't give any clues because I appreciated not knowing in advance myself, but this story gives powerful insights into the experiences of displaced people and I think some of its imagery will stay with me for a long time. I wouldn't be surprised to see Red Birds as my Book of the Month for October.