Transparent City by Ondjaki, translated from Portuguese by Stephen Henighan, is an epic novel centering on a single apartment building in Luanda. A man named Odonato is slowly turning transparent as he wonders where his missing son might be.Â
The wide cast of characters live in a world of corruption and money changing hands, trying to get by—a blind man befriends a seashell sheller, a Mailman tries to get a motorized vehicle for his day-to-day work. Water runs through the first floor, reviving those who walk through it. Sketchy government officials come through to suggest workarounds and encourage new business.Â
It’s a poetic, chaotic web of a novel, touching and hilarious, written in a compelling, flowing, sensory run-on narrative, all in captivating lowercase. It takes a page or two to get used to, but then it becomes impossible to put down. It has a wide scope, and those willing to take the leap will happily swim through the rushing current of this strange, dark, sometimes comedic and other times tragic book, with its absurd twists and its tender characters.Â
For more books in translation from Central Africa, see my list of recommendations for Book Riot!
Content warnings for drug addiction, anti-Asian sentiment, animal cruelty, homophobic language, shooting, violence.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
The more I thought about this book the more I liked it, which is how I went from wanting to give it a 3.5 to a 4.5. What stood out to me the most was the writing style, as it's an oral story put to text. It is a really beautiful and chaotic love letter to Luanda and its people, and to life itself. I read this cuz it said in the back it played with the absurd, and it did! I wish it went a little further, though I still genuinely loved this book :3
The rambling child-voice, surely not helped by the nature of translation into English, takes a while to charm, but the final third of this short novel flies by in a hilarious rush. A subtle emotive depth is present, too, brought into focus by the afterword.