Book Title: Song for Night

Author: Chris Abani

Publisher: Akashic Books, USA

Year: 2008

Song for Night is a story of civil war in Nigeria. It is set firmly against the backdrop of Christian and Muslim hostilities. Song for Night is an impressive and rapidly paced description and observation of war narrated by 1 of its active participant, a boy soldier (15 years) named My Luck.

In the nutshell, it really is a story of human triumph more than insurmountable odds. A story of courage. A story of worry. A story of hope. The book has been described as an illumination of the body’s capacity for both ecstasy and pain with honesty rarely encountered. Its narration is faced-paced. Its prose, stunning beyond measure. Its description and observation as clear as a blue sky.

My Luck was trained as a human mine detector, and joined a platoon whose job was to disable clandestine enemy explosives. This is how they had been trained: first their eyes had been produced keen so they could notice any modify in the terrain no matter how subtle: a blade of grass out of location, scuffed turf, a tiny bump in the ground, the sharp cut of a metal tool into earth – any sign of human disturbance to the ground. They also received feet workout routines to make their feet sensitive – simply because as component of detecting bombs their toes had to perform like fingers – often exposed no boots. As element of the instruction, his vocal cords and that of his comrades were cut off to stop them from screaming and giving away (their) his platoon’s presence in case of an explosion, and, or if one particular is blown up.

In spite of an absence of his voice, My Luck tells the story of the senseless war with clarity, and maturity of a retired soldier. He seems to agree that the war is required, and he is committed to fighting until he is told to cease. However, he hardly remembers the hate that led them to the bush in the initial location. “We are just fighting to survive the war…” he admits.

The story begins with My Luck acquiring separated from his platoon after an explosion. He woke up and located himself alone in the bush. My Luck’s journey to discover his missing platoon takes him by way of abandoned villages, and rotting corpses. He sees 1st-hand the destruction triggered and the futility of war. He remains single minded nonetheless – he ought to be united with this comrades and continue to fight until there is an order to cease. In the course of his search, he talks openly about his own portion in the war like how he enjoyed killing. He when sprayed a group of females with an AK 47, raped, and murdered his own commander.

Song for Night is a devastating book in its lucid description of the effects of war, however it is a story with a pleased ending. Even though, the author Chris Abani never ever tells us about the finish of the war, but My Luck does get reunited with his household. He also regained his voice.