Reviews

A Long Way from Douala: A Novel by Max Lobe

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thebestdarnthing's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

an adventure told through the offensive eye of a cameroonian teenager (which was a bit uncomfortable but somewhat inevitable due to his christian west african background, i am nigerian and it's not far off from how boys are here) i find some merit in this book, like the depictions of west african life and the gloom of terrorism, it's moments of humour and it's critiques of religion. i wanted there to be a romance unfortunately, that would be a wild wish as any signs of build up were whisked away, the story shows promise for something much better but colours itself an underwhelming journey by its last page.

underbroen's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

siria's review

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emotional sad tense

2.75

In A Long Way from Douala, teenage Jean and his friend (and secret crush) Simon team up to try to find Jean's brother Roger, who has run away from home in the aftermath of their father's death in the hope of making it to Europe. Max Lobe provides a vivid picture of life in contemporary Cameroon, and I liked the rhythms of his dialogue and his use of Camfranglais (a slang mash-up of French, English, and indigeneous African languages). Yet as a coming-of-age novel it never quite... well, comes of age. And while Jean's sexism and transphobia aren't that surprising, given that he's a repressed teenager raised in an explicitly patriarchal evangelical Christian household, the continual misogyny and vitriol made for a wearying read.

Content Warnings

elloelliot's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

worthleyv's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

jade_valenzuela's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

An critical, funny and sometimes bleak look at life in Cameroon as one boy and his friend travel across the country in search of the main character’s brother who runs off after their father dies. It’s a novel full of self exploration, love, anger and hope.

erinshinereads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

raphaelle_a's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I’ve never read a book that ended on the most unsatisfactory cliff hanger before this one.

Being from Cameroon, I was really interested in reading from a Cameroonian author I had never heard of before. This book to me was a satirical way of exposing the ridiculousness of the Cameroonian way of living, as well as the exploitation and abuse Cameroonians turn to for remedy as opposed to fostering real change. The underlying nod at the rejection of any sexual orientation other than heterosexual was also very loud. Especially when it seems that the main characters may very well have similar longings and yet a deep hatred for those desires.

I am giving this book a 3 stars because to me it did not add anything to the conversation about what is wrong with Cameroon. It seemed like a recollection of a wild story someone lived, but without any kind of interesting ending. This was more an overall critique of a regime than anything else. I know it’s supposed to be a fictional book, but it seemed to be very light on the fiction.

I would have loved to get more of Roger’s side. What did he go through? Why did he convert? How were his few days in the North that seemed to be so different and at the antipodes of Douala? I think that would’ve added to the story a lot.

I also believe that anyone picking this book up should get it in the French translation if possible, because I really think a lot of the authors “voice” was lost in translation. Overall, a very easy, one seating read!

amyjo25's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

anges_book_chatter's review against another edition

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challenging funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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