In Warscapes a review of Guban by Abdi Latif Ega:
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The novel is set during this moment of tension and transition in Somalia. Its title Guban is a name given to volcanic mountain range in the northeastern part of Somalia also means "burnt" in English. Abdi Latif Ega creates a narrative where the struggles of a nation dealing with the conflicting forces of tradition and modernity are contextualized by following the lives in one family. The novel is set in motion when Haogsaday, the head of a Somali family, is arrested without evidence and charged with high crimes against the state. The state, having recently undergone a coup d’état by Western educated military General Beheyeah and General Kumanay, is at the stage where visions of modernity struggle against the persistent customs of the past. Haogsaday's family, led by his wife Tusmo, undergo a journey to try and combat the charges against him in order to reunite the family. The resulting quest reveals a state rife with corruption and held hostage by clan politics. In the events that follow, Ega examines the world behind the deceptive facade of a country marching towards modernity. He intertwines the effects of the Cold War, the Socialist revolution, a military junta, with the experiences of a compelling cast of Somali characters.
