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A review by gemmamilne
Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou
3.0
This was a nice read - I flew through it with its pacey story and whipsmart humour, but I must admit I didn’t really connect with it.
The first half is the story of a boy, Moses for short, in an orphanage during 1970s Congo - and this was my favourite part of the book, with its rich characters and wonderful tale of boyhood in pretty dire circumstances. The second half is when Moses escapes the orphanage for a nearby town, where he ends up hanging out with petty thieves, is taken in by a kindly brothel mistress, and then starts to build a life of sorts. This then switches tone for the last quarter - no spoilers - and ends on an intriguing note.
I found the characters really fascinating, the depiction of Congo at the time really gripping, and the humour pretty masterful, but I felt like I was reading across the surface of a book as opposed to really getting into it - which is strange considering I sat and read it in one go.
I did enjoy this book, but I wasn’t moved as such.
The first half is the story of a boy, Moses for short, in an orphanage during 1970s Congo - and this was my favourite part of the book, with its rich characters and wonderful tale of boyhood in pretty dire circumstances. The second half is when Moses escapes the orphanage for a nearby town, where he ends up hanging out with petty thieves, is taken in by a kindly brothel mistress, and then starts to build a life of sorts. This then switches tone for the last quarter - no spoilers - and ends on an intriguing note.
I found the characters really fascinating, the depiction of Congo at the time really gripping, and the humour pretty masterful, but I felt like I was reading across the surface of a book as opposed to really getting into it - which is strange considering I sat and read it in one go.
I did enjoy this book, but I wasn’t moved as such.