Read as leg 8 (Equatorial Guinea) of the
Bookpacking reading journey as it makes landfall in Africa. Or not quite; as this book is set on a remote
Atlantic Ocean island off the continent’s west coast.
It is a story told of a boy’s experiences
growing up there. And told is the key
word as it is reads as a monologue from skilled storyteller with the rhythms
and repetitions that give that style its distinctiveness.
What happens matters less than how it is
told and the various events within the narrative intertwine and are frequently,
if temporarily, abandoned whenever a tangential happening or thought interrupts
the storyteller’s mind to distract him.
But he returns to them all eventually and loose ends are tied up by the
end.
The culture of the Atlantic Ocean island and
its inhabitants suffuse the narrative giving a richness that draws the reader
in. There are no chapters and precious
few breaks in the text, but that matters not as the narrator’s voice is
beguiling. He is in the room with you
and to walk away almost seems impolite.
A different and memorable reading
experience.
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