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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
On one level I have read this character and this life before: a man alienated from his work in a bureaucratic system, lowkey hates his wife and kids/all women, "neutral"/passive personality used as a reference to more clearly see the weirdness of his society. But in this book I felt a genuine vigor and desire for change that I've never seen in anything else like this.
The language is fantastic. I'm thinking of the wood bannister, the stairs into the sea, and the wee scene.
Just 5 minutes of reading historical context completely changed the novel for me, so if you know very little about Ghana, Ghanaian independence or Nkrumah and his hopes for the nation (as I did) you should definitely read up.
All the reviews that say that they "couldn't get through it" are lame, because the book is beautiful and holds so much to think about. This guy is the only flaneur I've felt has a real motivation to be doing what he's doing. Lol.
The language is fantastic. I'm thinking of the wood bannister, the stairs into the sea, and the wee scene.
Just 5 minutes of reading historical context completely changed the novel for me, so if you know very little about Ghana, Ghanaian independence or Nkrumah and his hopes for the nation (as I did) you should definitely read up.
All the reviews that say that they "couldn't get through it" are lame, because the book is beautiful and holds so much to think about. This guy is the only flaneur I've felt has a real motivation to be doing what he's doing. Lol.
This book was too frustrating by half. I hated his writing. I understand that he wrote like that to convey how depressing and alienating post-independence Ghana was like but I still didn't appreciate it. He uses the passive voice like a weapon, describes the most mundane of objects tediously. There is little to his internal thoughts, and I cannot say I knew him at all by the halfway mark. The only sighs of relief I got as when I came across dialogue but even that was scattered so few and far in between that I had to put it down. I don't even remember anything of the "plot" because this was 3 years ago but my god... my frustration is still nevertheless there.
After a lyrical and symbolic first third, the rest of the novel was more plot-driven and on-the-nose. Still an effective message.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
i remember being a little exhausted by the narrative around page 40 or so but very glad i kept reading; this book is up there with the likes of Things Fall Apart
I'm not sure what rating to give it, I was unsure what I was exactly reading until I got 100 pages in. It felt like Virginia Woolf but in Ghana and in the perspective of the unnamed main character. Perhaps its more towards 4 stars than 3. Such an unusual read, another book I'm glad I read.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It definetly is a slow paced book, especially at the beginning but the last third of the book is way faster to read because suddenly things happen! I liked the book for its portray of corruption in Ghana in the last days of Nkrumahs government and I think it was wise in giving comments on the aspects of power, moral and how to keep your moral integrity when everyboy around you is telling you you are acting morally wrong. Still only 3 stars because the story had its lengths.