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balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting speculative/alternate history novel where countries of the African continent have been united into one federally-run superpower. This flips the narrative and puts Europe, the US, Australia, etc. into the place of the developing world (I learned from a fellow bookseller who spent a year working with an orphanage in Djibouti, where the author was born/grew up, that the country is more closely linked to France i.e. only French families can adopt children from Djibouti, which makes sense with the French-oriented plot of the novel).
The ideas and world created by Waberi was very intriguing with a lot of moving parts and I was disappointed that the novel was so slim (only about 120 pages in the US translation). I would have loved more time to explore all the parts of the world rather than intermittently follow the main character. I think the narrative thread of the book is hard to follow, too, due to the author's choice to use a 2nd person narration - the "I" seems to be the author and the "you" is the young woman Maya/Malaika - and it jumps around quite a bit. I think a story collection set in this world by Waberi would be phenomenal.
The ideas and world created by Waberi was very intriguing with a lot of moving parts and I was disappointed that the novel was so slim (only about 120 pages in the US translation). I would have loved more time to explore all the parts of the world rather than intermittently follow the main character. I think the narrative thread of the book is hard to follow, too, due to the author's choice to use a 2nd person narration - the "I" seems to be the author and the "you" is the young woman Maya/Malaika - and it jumps around quite a bit. I think a story collection set in this world by Waberi would be phenomenal.
dzsossz's review against another edition
4.0
I hated this book at first. It felt disjointed and full of random references to places. After 6 chapters I realised I'd read too fast so decided to start again and slow it right down. This changed things entirely. I reread passages until I really understood, although there were many references I'm sure I missed. This book is far more than swapping the world order around. The story gets you thinking about how we perceive the world. The character of Maya only emerges over time as well as her connection with those around her. This was a challenging read, I recommend reading without family interruptions!
For a better review:
https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/2012/01/17/dijibouti-states-of-mind/
For a better review:
https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/2012/01/17/dijibouti-states-of-mind/
coco1922's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lofimichelleeo's review against another edition
2.0
Really liked the idea of this, but the writing style was hard to get into.
amyjo25's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
bougainvillea's review
1.0
Ok, I give up. I love the premise of this book and the first few pages were fun. But there's no story to speak of and the cute little wordplays are just not holding my attention anymore.