Reviews tagging 'Death'

Transparent City by Ondjaki

1 review

charleyroxy's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was immediately intrigued by this story of a city on fire. The city, Luanda, is changing and being changed by the inhabitants and those with a vested interest in it. The writing gives you the feeling of being whisked about Luanda, from scene to scene, in a way that is so smooth yet requires you to stop and catch your breath while your mind stops spinning. There are tax collectors, a mailman in search of a motorbike, plenty of bureaucrats, a seashell seller, a blind man, criminals, and big oil companies. But, at the centre of it all, there is a building in Maianga Square with a pothole, burst pipes with continuously flowing water, and seven floors. It's inhabitants are a colourful bunch of characters except for Odonato who is slowly becoming transparent, in both a literal and figurative way.

It makes for a wonderful story full of laugh out loud moments, heartbreaking scenes, and satire that gets you rolling your eyes with how ridiculous and sometimes real it actually is. The writing takes some getting used to as there are no capitals, other than names, and no full stops but it doesn't impede enjoyment in the slightest.
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