1. Background and context

2. Themes

3. Style

4. Critical reception

5. References

6. Additional resources

Background and context

The terrorist attack that starts the novel is very similar to the one that killed 20 at a UN compound in Somalia in 2013.^[1] {{clarify |date=November 2017 |reason=Who submitted the draft? This wording implies that it was the sister. We should state clearly which. |text=After submitting a first draft of the novel}} to his publisher, Farah's sister died in a terrorist attack in a Kabul restaurant, events similar to those Farah had already written in his draft.^[3][4]

While preparing for writing the novel, Farah had to learn how photography works, in order to accurately represent Bella's work as a photographer.^[3]

Themes

When reviewing the novel for The New York Times, critic Laila Lalami noted two distinctive stylistic elements of the novel: first, like many of Farah's earlier novels, the novel is set during the midst of a country in rapid transition, Kenya, and thus explores the chaos of that change; and, second, the novel has a focus on grief. Lalami notes: "The rewards of reading Hiding in Plain Sight lie in Farah’s sensitive exploration of grief and his depiction of a family's love for one another."^[1]

Style

The novel is written in the third person, often following Bella's perspective, but occasionally drifting to one of the other characters'.^[1] The New York Times critic Laila Lalami describes the transitions between characters as "abrupt and ultimately jarring".^[1]

The prose style of the novel received poor reception from a number of critics: The Washington Post critic Ron Charles called the prose "bland",^[5] and The Guardian critic Claire Hazelton called it "poetic [...] but too often lacks imagination".^[7]

Critical reception

Reception of the novel was mixed. The New York Times critic Laila Lalami largely praises the novel, describing its depiction of grief as the most rewarding part of the novel.^[1] She writes: "Farah is particularly adept at evoking the way in which the sight of a familiar face or place can trigger painful memories."^[1]

References

Additional resources

• {{Cite web| title = Somali writer Nuruddin Farah on his new book Hiding in Plain Sight| work = SoundCloud| url = https://soundcloud.com/bbcafrica/somali-writer-nuruddin-farah-on-his-new-book-hding-in-plain-sight}}

• Tangent bundle
• Tangent cone
• Tangent galvanometer
• Tangent (geometry)
• Tangent half-angle formula
• Tangential
• Tangential Flow Filtration
• Tangent line
• Tangent manifold
• Tangentopoli
• Tangent, OR
• Tangent, Oregon
• Tangent Piano
• Tangent piano
• Tangent plane
• Tangents (collection)
• Tangent space
• Tangent spaces
• Tangent (tangent piano)
• Tangent (trigonometry)
• Tangent vector
• Tangent vectors
• Tangerang
• Tangerene dream
• Tangerine