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sophieyelda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Classism, Sexual content, Islamophobia, Bullying, Xenophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Misogyny, Police brutality, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Excrement, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Excrement, Drug abuse, and Drug use
kemilyh1988's review against another edition
3.0
Won this in a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for a review. This novella is essentially a stream of conscience of a French man that has just been arrested. Poignant style with a good translation. It kept me engaged and I was not expecting the ending.
enidkeaner's review against another edition
3.0
I have read very, very little literature written by black African born writers. It’s seriously an embarrassment. If I remember properly, I’ve read work by Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. That was it.
And recently I read Wilfried N’Sonde’s “The Heart of the Leopard Children”. It’s a short little novella but it’s quite good and touches on so much. It centers on nameless young man living in the a poor Parisian banlieue who is in police custody. Between beatings and interrogations, he slips into his memories of his life in France and Africa. It’s an affecting story, and there’s a lot slipped in here - racism, the specter of colonialism, immigration and the odd feeling of never quite being at home in your home. The writing is really, really poetic. While it’s not something I typically read, I’m really, really glad I did.
And recently I read Wilfried N’Sonde’s “The Heart of the Leopard Children”. It’s a short little novella but it’s quite good and touches on so much. It centers on nameless young man living in the a poor Parisian banlieue who is in police custody. Between beatings and interrogations, he slips into his memories of his life in France and Africa. It’s an affecting story, and there’s a lot slipped in here - racism, the specter of colonialism, immigration and the odd feeling of never quite being at home in your home. The writing is really, really poetic. While it’s not something I typically read, I’m really, really glad I did.
spinesinaline's review against another edition
2.0
'H' book done!
So the first thing to know about this book is that it’s basically presented as a stream-of-consciousness, which in this story makes it very difficult. Our narrator wakes up in a prison cell with no memory of the night before, and he shares the story of his life with the reader as he tries to piece together what may have happened. We jump back and forth a lot in time and because of this format it’s not always clear what’s recent vs. historical past so trying to understand what his current relationships were with his friends was almost impossible.
Also of note is that this is a translation, though I don’t think that’s what stopped me from really connecting with the book. What I did find interesting is that the main character is modeled after the author, also from the Congo and moved to France as a child, growing up in the projects. I don’t know how much of the story are things he actually experienced but clearly the main themes of this story are pulled from his own life.
These themes of racism and discrimination against immigration, and more generally of struggling to belong, are the strength of the story and this book did make me stop and seriously consider my own position of privilege. The narrator’s struggles are not something I have any experience with but the author is incredibly emotive with his depictions of his native culture and how this clashes with his new home. There’s a lot to learn and listen to in this book, especially for non-minorities like myself, but the form this was presented in caused the story to have less of an impact than I think was intended.
So the first thing to know about this book is that it’s basically presented as a stream-of-consciousness, which in this story makes it very difficult. Our narrator wakes up in a prison cell with no memory of the night before, and he shares the story of his life with the reader as he tries to piece together what may have happened. We jump back and forth a lot in time and because of this format it’s not always clear what’s recent vs. historical past so trying to understand what his current relationships were with his friends was almost impossible.
Also of note is that this is a translation, though I don’t think that’s what stopped me from really connecting with the book. What I did find interesting is that the main character is modeled after the author, also from the Congo and moved to France as a child, growing up in the projects. I don’t know how much of the story are things he actually experienced but clearly the main themes of this story are pulled from his own life.
These themes of racism and discrimination against immigration, and more generally of struggling to belong, are the strength of the story and this book did make me stop and seriously consider my own position of privilege. The narrator’s struggles are not something I have any experience with but the author is incredibly emotive with his depictions of his native culture and how this clashes with his new home. There’s a lot to learn and listen to in this book, especially for non-minorities like myself, but the form this was presented in caused the story to have less of an impact than I think was intended.
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