Transparent City

#ReadAroundTheWorld #Angola

This is a novel set in Luanda, Angola, by Angolan author Ndalu de Almeida, writing under the pen name of Ondjaki. It is a contemporary story set in an apartment block that shifts between many characters, some of them rather quirky.

I’m sure this is a clever book with much to say. It touches on capitalism, exploitation, colonialism, corruption, drugs and poverty. There are elements of humour, or the ludicrous, with an eclipse that is cancelled, a man seeking fame for his huge hernia, and other elements of satyr and the farcical, pointing out the failures of the government, colonial powers, the police and legal system. There is magical realism, with one of the characters progressively becoming transparent, I show more presume as a metaphor for the invisibility of poverty and hardship. However this was all wasted on me due to the storyline, or more precisely the lack of storyline, which I found unengaging and difficult to wade through. This was probably amplified by an audio-narrator that failed to distinguish between the many characters at all. Sadly although I was excited to read my first book from Angola by a local award-winning author, this was a disappointing read for me. show less