Ghost Season provides us with a somber, beautiful look into the lives of five strangers in a Sudanese border town at the turn of the 21st century. Fatin Abbas's prose is simple, yet striking, deftly weaving together the lives and stories of the vastly different characters. I found all of the main characters to be deeply human, compelling in all their idiosyncrasies—even if there were moments I was left wanting more for them or from them. The pacing is a bit slow to start, but begins to pick up and move at a clip after the first third of the book.

While the ending feels bleak, it feels fitting for a story that is ultimately about borders, identity, and the stubbornness of life, persisting. What a truly moving debut.
As always, read the content warnings.