Scan barcode
A review by sagabrodersen
Tremor by Teju Cole
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
2.75
okay so an important thing to know before reading this book is that he unexpectedly shifts the narrative !a lot!, and without warning or reason. it gets highly confusing if you are not prepared for this. the protagonist is a man called tunde, and the first 5 chapters you get really invested in his storyline and storytelling (with only a quick shift of perspective in chapter 2 or so if i remember correctly). but then chapter 6 arrives - and you are thrown into a whole other story with another protagonist. it also changes perspectives multiple times after that in very short intervals. (Smart choice of title though lol). Cole could have skipped chapter six completely and i would have rated the book 4/5 stars, but this really threw me off. In chapter six he also has a storyline with someone “engaging in sex work” and this really threw me off as well.
moving forward and focusing on the greater parts though - Cole’s language is incredibly beautiful, almost meditative, as he walks the reader through the history of art, music, and societal dynamics and issues. using artifacts from history’s past, he thoroughly examines racial injustices and colonialism, whilst also exploring the simplicity and complexity of life. there is a quote that reads “Life is hopeless but it is not serious. We have to have danced while we could and, later, to have danced again in the telling.” and i think it really captures the essence of the meaning of life.
moving forward and focusing on the greater parts though - Cole’s language is incredibly beautiful, almost meditative, as he walks the reader through the history of art, music, and societal dynamics and issues. using artifacts from history’s past, he thoroughly examines racial injustices and colonialism, whilst also exploring the simplicity and complexity of life. there is a quote that reads “Life is hopeless but it is not serious. We have to have danced while we could and, later, to have danced again in the telling.” and i think it really captures the essence of the meaning of life.