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A review by dreesreads
Addis Ababa Noir by Maaza Mengiste
3.0
I know the series name is the hook here, but I would not call these stories "noir". Yes, they all take place in Addis Ababa, and each is dark in some way, though some are more supernatural than traditionally violent. I wouldn't say good vs evil is undefined either, as most of these are quite clear. But maybe the "noir" genre is undergoing a redefinition--possibly defined by this series? My favorite thing about this series of books, though, is being introduced to current writers I am not familiar with.
Anyway. I have never been to Ethiopia or (obviously) Addis Ababa. I cannot speak to the geographical accuracy of these stories. These are all set in and around the city, but I expected more of the city itself feeling like a character. A few gave a taste of the city itself: Fiseha's "Ostrich" did, as a young woman returns to the city she grew up in. Seyoum's "Under the Minibus Ceiling" definitely did. Others, like Giorgis's "A Double-Edged Inheritace" and Hailemariam's "None of Your Business" speak more to life in Ethiopia in general. Fantaye's "Of the Poet and the Cafe" is more in the style of weird fiction, and might have been my favorite (though it can be so hard to pick just one in an anthology).
The included authors are a mix of Ethiopians living in and out of Ethiopia. Two of the stories (by Fantaye and Seyoum) are translated (presumably from Amharic, though the book does not say).
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Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers and Akashic Books for providing me with a review copy of this book.
Anyway. I have never been to Ethiopia or (obviously) Addis Ababa. I cannot speak to the geographical accuracy of these stories. These are all set in and around the city, but I expected more of the city itself feeling like a character. A few gave a taste of the city itself: Fiseha's "Ostrich" did, as a young woman returns to the city she grew up in. Seyoum's "Under the Minibus Ceiling" definitely did. Others, like Giorgis's "A Double-Edged Inheritace" and Hailemariam's "None of Your Business" speak more to life in Ethiopia in general. Fantaye's "Of the Poet and the Cafe" is more in the style of weird fiction, and might have been my favorite (though it can be so hard to pick just one in an anthology).
The included authors are a mix of Ethiopians living in and out of Ethiopia. Two of the stories (by Fantaye and Seyoum) are translated (presumably from Amharic, though the book does not say).
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Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers and Akashic Books for providing me with a review copy of this book.