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This is the fifth and final book that Nicola’s Book Club will read in Season 14, the theme of which is “Satire”. In a literary reversal as deadly serious as it is wickedly satiric, this novel by the acclaimed Djibouti writer Abdourahman A. Waberi turns the fortunes of the world upside down. On this reimagined globe a stream of sorry humanity flows from the West, from the slums of America and the squalor of Europe, to escape poverty and desperation in the prosperous United States of Africa. It is in this world that an African doctor on a humanitarian mission to France adopts a child. Now a young artist, this girl, Malaïka, travels to the troubled land of her birth in hope of finding her mother - and perhaps something of her lost self. Her search, at times f... Subscribe to read more
Although readers found the story bleak and a bit too close to current reality, they really enjoyed it thanks to the wonderful language and superb writing. They found the story fluid and well-paced, with a good plot that kept their interest going. Everyone sympathised with Jimmy who they described as a likeable albeit flawed character. On the other hand, they felt that both the characters of Crake and Oryx were too thinly portrayed to get a good feel for them. They liked the highly imaginative and exaggerated view of a modern society, with its inordinate use of technology, gene splicing, cloning, viruses, dysfunctional relationships with parents, friends and lovers. Some readers had diffic... Subscribe to read more
Nicola is a lover of books, and equally a lover of world cultures. She believes that books represent the first step of a journey, a journey that frequently has an unknown destination. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s collection of essays “Moving the Centre” is one of Nicola’s great inspirations: it points to a wealth of stories from different cultures around the world, cultures which do not always get the visibility their rich heritage deserves. Nicola’s mission is to share these stories, her passion for books and her literary insight with readers the world over.
Former proprietor of Nicola’s Bookshop in Brussels, Nicola has developed her knowledge and enthusiasm for literature over many years. Through this website Nicola now reaches out to a wider audience. Read more