Silence is My Mother Tongue

Set in an East African refugee camp, Sulaiman Addonia’s novel explores identity, desire, and resistance through the intertwined lives of Saba and her mute brother Hagos. Addonia’s prose is lush and intimate, refusing stereotypical portrayals of displacement. Instead, he foregrounds the emotional and political complexities of life in liminal spaces. The novel challenges conventional narratives about refugees, revealing how silence, language, and power shape belonging. Addonia’s storytelling is sensual, unpredictable, and deeply humane, offering a rich counter-narrative to reductive depictions of migration.