José Eduardo Agualusa

A General Theory of Oblivion covers a span of some 30 years and loosely centres on Ludo, an agoraphobic woman who walls herself into an apartment in Luanda for decades on end to escape the chaos that accompanies Angolan independence. While physically cut off from the world, Ludo's actions continue to affect those around her—and vice versa. José Eduardo Agualusa's writing is often very vivid, and I could easily see how this novel started out life as a screenplay: some scenes would be so striking on the big screen. However, the characters generally felt more like ideas than people, and (at least in translation) some of the dialogue clunked. On the whole, fluid and often charming enough to keep me reading through to the end, but lacking in the connection needed for this to be a book that will stay with me.… (altro)

So, this was the book I could find in my library, for the Africa Lusaphone challenge. It's short, literary, narrated by a gecko who somehow represents Jorge Luis Borges. The gecko is telling the story of an Angolan who makes a living selling fake family histories to people who want a more upscale genealogy.

Now that I have read it, I remember reading someone else's review, here on LT, and thinking that it sounded too strange and literary for me, so I would skip it. It turns out that was right, but it is very well written, so if you are more literary than me, or a Borges fan, I bet you'd like it.… (altro)

Reason Read: African Novel Challenge. This was written by José Eduardo Agualusa. He is currently living in Mozambique but was born in Angola. He is a journalist of Portuguese descent. This book covers the period of independence in Angola. A woman locks herself in her own room in her apartment. She cuts herself off from the external world. Written in the author's native language of Portuguese, it was translated into English by Daniel Hahn in 2015. The novel appeared on the short-list for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, losing to The Vegetarian. The novel was the recipient of the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award. I really liked the book and I think I like it better than the Vegetarian.… (altro)