Fairytales for Lost Children Paperback – 1 Sep 2013

I loved this book of short stories about gay and lesbian Somali lives in Kenya and Peckham, South London. The language is a really original mash-up of bits of Kiswahili, Somali and London Blackney. Sometimes it's poetic and lyrical, sometimes it's tough and UK urban. Really unusually Osman gets inside both gay men and lesbians - and trans characters too, so it feels like a wide palette and psychological landscape. If there's an overall theme I'd say it's about acceptance and self-acceptance. I was particularly interested in the stories that deal with mental illness in a vivid and alarming way - including an autobiographical essay about the author's own experiences - but it's not at all a book about that, though mental health problems hit the lgbt community particularly hard.

There are really very few (fictional) books putting lgbt African characters at the forefront, never mind Somali ones, which makes this a unique read. This book is sometimes sad, sometimes sexy and sometimes even funny, and even when it gets dark, it's never despairing. It's full of insights into the migrant experience, the traumas afflicting the whole Somali community, and the challenges and joys of being same-sex attracted in a hostile world. I felt I learned a lot without realising I was doing so - all the fascinating cultural details (like the traditional Somali wedding the alienated lesbian protagonist of Earthling disastrously decides to attend with her girlfriend in tow). Personally I most enjoyed these grittier stories, and yet the shorter, lyrical pieces (like the last one, about braiding marigolds into a lover's dreadlocks) are really memorable and sweet too.

The cute line-drawings (by the author) between each story, and the title, make this a good book to give as a gift, but it's also full of writing of real substance as well. I really liked it a very great deal.

I love this bold, honest, intimate and magical collection of stories. Osman paints a very different picture of Africa and Somalis unknown to many. These short stories whether based in South London, Kenya or Somalia, whether gritty, uplifting or complicated, reach intimacy with emotional highs and lows in such a short period of time.

However intense the conditions of the characters might be, the author manages to express this in a beautiful way yet not underestimating the complicated and intense nature of the stories and the characters.

Osman’s melodic and beautifully crafted words, take you into a short but deeply emotional journey. While it is very rare to read from the point of view of Somali characters, these stories go beyond one culture. They bring an insight to the issues and struggle that many people from other cultures are facing for the similar reasons. Parts of this book take you to an Africa unseen and untold. A beautiful read.

The individual tales are each rich in vivid scenery with exciting and very moving character studies.
This author has a wonderful use of language giving honest and real accounts of love, sex, passion, loss, heartache and mental illness peppered with well placed rhythm, slang, colloquialisms and poetry.
I felt transported by each of these stories; straight into the lives of these characters following their hopes, dreams and struggles so intensely. To achieve such a standard in short story form is a true skill. Great book, highly recommend.