A review by auri_beetlebug
Transparent City by Ondjaki

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

A magical realism written in an elegantly winding and vivid prose that may take a little to process at first. A wide range of characters that the story flickers between, we get a glimpse of the political and social unrest in Luanda where this novel takes place, and the effect it has upon its diverse cast. Funny and joyful, yet also full of longing and reminiscence. I felt at times a little lost within the prose, and I'd have liked to have experienced the perspective from some of the women within the story, their existences feeling a little sidelined and utilised by the rest of the male dominated cast. Overall it was a softly delightful, melancholy and witty, deeply cutting criticism of political corruption, and a sentimental ache for a country rich in the warmth of its people, gradually flattened by capitalism.