A review by terhangus
Open City by Teju Cole

4.0

this book both felt like an enjoyable textbook of someone else's thoughts and something else. i have quite a few irks about julius but damn if he doesn't feel real. damn if he couldn't be actually someone breathing and existing in nyc rn. i found snippets of the book that i love - that conversation about islam he had w/ farouq and khalil gave me so much life - and i wonder how many autobiographical things teju cole let slip into this book disguised as fiction. it's so weird thinking of an author not as someone who just writes but someone who exists and have his thoughts on opinions. the book is like a low quiet hum in your head. it's there but it's not persistent, but it is there. also made me realize you can actually be published author w/o needing that complete plot cycle thing (especially that climax-resolution thing that i struggle with) and i needed that. thnx. hope you wait for my book abt jakarta youth

definitely like teju('s persona in uwrf15) more than i like julius, tho