Passage of Tears

‘A gripping book, burning with urgency and tension.’ —Télérama

‘With Waberi, the juxtapositions—surprising, provocative, and original—form a good part of the thrill themselves.’ —Words Without Borders

‘Waberi has concocted with his magical alchemy a tale that blends political thriller, legends, spy novel, and the diary of a man tailor-made for the know-it-all.’ —Salonica World Lit

‘Passage of Tears is a cerebral modern thriller (of sorts) that defies easy categorization [. . .] Equally at ease in both First and Third Worlds (and all their trappings), Waberi manages the rare feat of handling and integrating Western intellectual and political thought as comfortably and convincingly as he does the ideologies and culture of the Horn of Africa (and that without overwhelming the actual fiction).’ —Complete Review

‘If Waberi’s books are any indication, the novel of ideas, long regarded with indifference if not suspicion, may be set for a renaissance. Waberi is unabashed and unusually adept in creating heart-wrenching stories that test general assumptions, politically correct and incorrect, about exile, tolerance, métissage, the hypocritical cynicism of postcolonial Western foreign policies and development, the pragmatic cynicism of aspiring political and religious factions in the developing world, and the ruthless machinery of a global economy.’ —The Hudson Review

‘A palpable illustration of life in Djibouti. In supple flowing prose, Waberi layers image upon image of life in that arid, rocky land where the Arabian and Red Sea meet in the Gulf of Tadjoura [. . .] Ultimately Passage of Tears is a story about rejection, estrangement, and exile. Waberi delivers a satisfying end that readers will consider many more times after the pages are tucked into the bookcase.’ —Colorado Review

‘Disguised as a political thriller, Passage of Tears is above all a great novel of childhood, murderous identities, and exile.’ —Le Monde des Livres