Claire's Going Global At Last
ForumReading Globally
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1klarusu
Whilst I did promise I wasn't going to commit to any more reading challenges, I can't help but challenge myself to read my way through the lovely lists of countries here. I'm not putting any time pressure on myself. This one's a labour of love. I've read so much global lit up to this point that I'm also just starting afresh so everything here is going to be what I've read since setting up this thread. I'm looking forward to diving into all the wonderful recommendations I've found here!
3klarusu
1. Eastern Africa I
1.1 Burundi
1.2 Comoros
1.3 Djibouti
1.4 Eritrea
1.5 Madagascar
1.6 Malawi
1.7 Mauritus
1.8 Mayotte
1.9 Mozambique
1.10 Reunion
1.11 Rwanda
1.12 Seychelles
1.13 Tanzania (includes Zanzibar)
1.14 Zambia
1.15 Zimbabwe
Fiction We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
1.1 Burundi
1.2 Comoros
1.3 Djibouti
1.4 Eritrea
1.5 Madagascar
1.6 Malawi
1.7 Mauritus
1.8 Mayotte
1.9 Mozambique
1.10 Reunion
1.11 Rwanda
1.12 Seychelles
1.13 Tanzania (includes Zanzibar)
1.14 Zambia
1.15 Zimbabwe
Fiction We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
4klarusu
2. Eastern Africa II
2.1 Chad
2.2 Sudan
2.3 Ethiopia
2.4 Somalia
2.5 Kenya
Non Fiction Dreams in a Time of War by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
2.6 Uganda
2.1 Chad
2.2 Sudan
2.3 Ethiopia
2.4 Somalia
2.5 Kenya
Non Fiction Dreams in a Time of War by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
2.6 Uganda
5klarusu
3. Middle Africa
3.1 Angola
3.2 Cameroon
3.3 Central African Republic
3.4 Chad
3.5 Congo (Brazzaville)
3.6 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Non Fiction Blood River by Tim Butcher
3.7 Equatorial Guinea
3.8 Gabon
3.9 Sao Tome and Principe
3.1 Angola
3.2 Cameroon
3.3 Central African Republic
3.4 Chad
3.5 Congo (Brazzaville)
3.6 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Non Fiction Blood River by Tim Butcher
3.7 Equatorial Guinea
3.8 Gabon
3.9 Sao Tome and Principe
6klarusu
4. Northern Africa
4.1 Algeria
4.2 Egypt
4.3 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
4.4 Morocco
4.5 Tunisia
4.6 Western Sahara
4.1 Algeria
4.2 Egypt
4.3 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
4.4 Morocco
4.5 Tunisia
4.6 Western Sahara
8klarusu
6. Western Africa
6.1 Benin
6.2 Burkina Faso
6.3 Cape Verde
6.4 Cote d’Ivoire
6.5 Gambia
6.6 Ghana
6.7 Guinea
6.8 Guinea-Bissau
6.9 Liberia
6.10 Mali
6.11 Mauritania
6.12 Niger
6.13 Nigeria
Fiction My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Nonfiction Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay
6.14 Saint Helena
6.15 Senegal
6.16 Sierra Leone
6.17 Togo
6.1 Benin
6.2 Burkina Faso
6.3 Cape Verde
6.4 Cote d’Ivoire
6.5 Gambia
6.6 Ghana
6.7 Guinea
6.8 Guinea-Bissau
6.9 Liberia
6.10 Mali
6.11 Mauritania
6.12 Niger
6.13 Nigeria
Fiction My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Nonfiction Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay
6.14 Saint Helena
6.15 Senegal
6.16 Sierra Leone
6.17 Togo
9klarusu
7. The Caribbean
7.1 Anguilla
7.2 Antgua & Barbuda
7.3 Aruba
7.4 Bahamas
7.5 Barbados
7.6 British Virgin Islands
7.7 Cayman Islands
7.8 Cuba
7.9 Dominica
7.10 Dominican Republic
7.11 Grenada
7.12 Guadeloupe
7.13 Haiti
7.14 Jamaica
7.15 Martinique
7.16 Monserrat
7.17 Netherlands Antilles
7.18 Puerto Rico
7.19 St. Kitts and Nevis
7.20 Saint Lucia
7.21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
7.22 Trinidad & Tobago
7.23 Turks & Caicos Islands
7.24 US Virgin Islands
7.1 Anguilla
7.2 Antgua & Barbuda
7.3 Aruba
7.4 Bahamas
7.5 Barbados
7.6 British Virgin Islands
7.7 Cayman Islands
7.8 Cuba
7.9 Dominica
7.10 Dominican Republic
7.11 Grenada
7.12 Guadeloupe
7.13 Haiti
7.14 Jamaica
7.15 Martinique
7.16 Monserrat
7.17 Netherlands Antilles
7.18 Puerto Rico
7.19 St. Kitts and Nevis
7.20 Saint Lucia
7.21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
7.22 Trinidad & Tobago
7.23 Turks & Caicos Islands
7.24 US Virgin Islands
10klarusu
8. Central America
8.1 Belize
8.2 Costa Rica
8.3 El Salvador
8.4 Guatemala
8.5 Honduras
8.6 Mexico
8.7 Nicaragua
8.8 Panama
8.1 Belize
8.2 Costa Rica
8.3 El Salvador
8.4 Guatemala
8.5 Honduras
8.6 Mexico
8.7 Nicaragua
8.8 Panama
11klarusu
9. South America I
9.1 Brazil
9.2 Colombia
Fiction The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
9.3 Ecuador
9.4 French Guiana
9.5 Guyana
9.6 Peru
9.7 Suriname
9.8 Venezuela
9.1 Brazil
9.2 Colombia
Fiction The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
9.3 Ecuador
9.4 French Guiana
9.5 Guyana
9.6 Peru
9.7 Suriname
9.8 Venezuela
12klarusu
10. South America II
10.1 Argentina
10.2 Chile
Fiction Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
10.3 Bolivia
10.4 Paraguay
10.5 Uruguay
10.6 Falkland Islands
10.1 Argentina
10.2 Chile
Fiction Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
10.3 Bolivia
10.4 Paraguay
10.5 Uruguay
10.6 Falkland Islands
13klarusu
11. Asia I
11.1 Afghanistan
11.2 Pakistan
11.3 Nepal
11.4 Georgia
11.5 Azerbaijan
11.6 Armenia
11.7 Kazakhstan
11.8 Kyrgyzstan
Fiction Jamilia
11.9 Tajikistan
11.10 Turkmenistan
11.11 Uzbekistan
11.1 Afghanistan
11.2 Pakistan
11.3 Nepal
11.4 Georgia
11.5 Azerbaijan
11.6 Armenia
11.7 Kazakhstan
11.8 Kyrgyzstan
Fiction Jamilia
11.9 Tajikistan
11.10 Turkmenistan
11.11 Uzbekistan
14klarusu
12. Asia II
12.1 China
Fiction Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
12.2 Mongolia
12.3 Taiwan
12.4 Hong Kong
12.5 Macao
12.6 Tibet
12.1 China
Fiction Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
12.2 Mongolia
12.3 Taiwan
12.4 Hong Kong
12.5 Macao
12.6 Tibet
15klarusu
13. Asia III
13.1 Japan
Fiction Silence by Shusako Endo
Non-Fiction The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida
13.2 South Korea
Fiction The Vegetarian by Han Kang
13.3 North Korea
Non-Fiction The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan
13.4 the Philippines
13.1 Japan
Fiction Silence by Shusako Endo
Non-Fiction The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida
13.2 South Korea
Fiction The Vegetarian by Han Kang
13.3 North Korea
Non-Fiction The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan
13.4 the Philippines
16klarusu
14. Asia IV
14.1 Myanmar
14.2 Thailand
14.3 Cambodia
14.4 Vietnam
14.5 Laos
14.6 Malaysia
14.7 Singapore
14.8 Indonesia
14.9 Brunei
14.10 Timor Leste
14.11 Maldives
14.12 Brunei
14.1 Myanmar
14.2 Thailand
14.3 Cambodia
14.4 Vietnam
14.5 Laos
14.6 Malaysia
14.7 Singapore
14.8 Indonesia
14.9 Brunei
14.10 Timor Leste
14.11 Maldives
14.12 Brunei
17klarusu
15. Asia V
15.1 India
Fiction Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai
15.2 Sri Lanka
15.3 Bangladesh
15.4 Bhutan
15.1 India
Fiction Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai
15.2 Sri Lanka
15.3 Bangladesh
15.4 Bhutan
19klarusu
17. Middle East II
17.1 Bahrain
17.2 Jordan
17.3 Kuwait
17.4 Oman
17.5 Qatar
17.6 Saudi Arabia
17.7 United Arab Emirates
17.8 Yemen
17.9 Iraq
Fiction The Iraqi Christ by Hassan Blasim
17.10 Iran
17.1 Bahrain
17.2 Jordan
17.3 Kuwait
17.4 Oman
17.5 Qatar
17.6 Saudi Arabia
17.7 United Arab Emirates
17.8 Yemen
17.9 Iraq
Fiction The Iraqi Christ by Hassan Blasim
17.10 Iran
20klarusu
18. Oceania
18.1 Australia
18.2 Fiji
18.3 French Polynesia
18.4 Guam
18.5 Kiribati
18.6 Micronesia
18.7 New Caledonia
18.8 New Zealand
18.9 Papua New Guinea
18.10 Samoa
18.11 American Samoa
18.12 Solomon Islands
18.13 Tonga, Vanuatu
18.1 Australia
18.2 Fiji
18.3 French Polynesia
18.4 Guam
18.5 Kiribati
18.6 Micronesia
18.7 New Caledonia
18.8 New Zealand
18.9 Papua New Guinea
18.10 Samoa
18.11 American Samoa
18.12 Solomon Islands
18.13 Tonga, Vanuatu
22klarusu
20. Europe II
20.1 Iceland
Fiction The Whispering Muse by Sjon
20.2 Norway
20.3 Sweden
20.4 Finland
20.5 Denmark
20.6 the Faroe Islands
20.7 Svelbard & Jan Mayen Islands
20.1 Iceland
Fiction The Whispering Muse by Sjon
20.2 Norway
20.3 Sweden
20.4 Finland
20.5 Denmark
20.6 the Faroe Islands
20.7 Svelbard & Jan Mayen Islands
23klarusu
21. Europe III
21.1 Estonia
21.2 Latvia
21.3 Lithuania
21.4 Russia
21.5 Belarus
21.6 Ukraine
Non-fiction Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
21.7 Moldova
21.8 Romania
21.1 Estonia
21.2 Latvia
21.3 Lithuania
21.4 Russia
21.5 Belarus
21.6 Ukraine
Non-fiction Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
21.7 Moldova
21.8 Romania
24klarusu
22. Europe IV
22.1 Turkey
22.2 Greece
22.3 Cyprus
22.4 Bulgaria
22.5 Serbia
22.6 Albania
Fiction Chronicle in Stone by Ismail Kadare
22.7 Bosnia & Herzebovinia
22.8 Croatia
22.9 Kosovo
22.10 Macedonia
22.11 Montenegro :O)
22.1 Turkey
22.2 Greece
22.3 Cyprus
22.4 Bulgaria
22.5 Serbia
22.6 Albania
Fiction Chronicle in Stone by Ismail Kadare
22.7 Bosnia & Herzebovinia
22.8 Croatia
22.9 Kosovo
22.10 Macedonia
22.11 Montenegro :O)
25klarusu
23. Europe V
23.1 Italy
Fiction Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
23.2 Vatican City
23.4 San Marino
23.5 Malta
23.1 Italy
Fiction Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
23.2 Vatican City
23.4 San Marino
23.5 Malta
26klarusu
24. Europe VI
24.1 Poland
Fiction Marzi by Marzena Sowa
24.2 Slovakia
24.3 Hungary
24.4 Czech Republic
24.5 Slovenia
24.1 Poland
Fiction Marzi by Marzena Sowa
24.2 Slovakia
24.3 Hungary
24.4 Czech Republic
24.5 Slovenia
28klarusu
26. Europe VIII
26.1 Switzerland
26.2 Austria
Fiction The Golem by Gustav Meyrink
26.3 Germany
Non-Fiction Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky
26.4 Liechtenstein
26.1 Switzerland
26.2 Austria
Fiction The Golem by Gustav Meyrink
26.3 Germany
Non-Fiction Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky
26.4 Liechtenstein
29klarusu
12.1 CHINA
Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
Translator: Cindy Carter
Bitingly satirical and bleak, this book describes the death of a village from AIDS, acquired from dirty needles and equipment during the blood selling boom in China. It's a harsh portrayal of China through the microcosm of the village of Ding and its inhabitants but it is also a damning indictment of human nature at its worst, potentially applicable to all nationalities. Yan Lianke has faced some criticism for the self-censorship he employed (futilely it would seem) to ensure that his work was not banned in China on first publication. A quick search around the internet for interviews shows that he made a conscious choice to narrow his focus to the level of the individual village rather than the whole blood selling system and its international connections. I would disagree with the criticism levelled at him for that decision because I think a thoughtful reader can see the broader criticism in the text. Fiction is not an academic history book and sometimes intelligent fiction can lead the reader to independently dig deeper in a topic. I don't read in Chinese so I can't compare this translation to the original, however, it reads very well and the translator's style seems well-matched to the text - it's not stilted or clunky. Definitely well worth reading if you haven't already.
Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
Translator: Cindy Carter
Bitingly satirical and bleak, this book describes the death of a village from AIDS, acquired from dirty needles and equipment during the blood selling boom in China. It's a harsh portrayal of China through the microcosm of the village of Ding and its inhabitants but it is also a damning indictment of human nature at its worst, potentially applicable to all nationalities. Yan Lianke has faced some criticism for the self-censorship he employed (futilely it would seem) to ensure that his work was not banned in China on first publication. A quick search around the internet for interviews shows that he made a conscious choice to narrow his focus to the level of the individual village rather than the whole blood selling system and its international connections. I would disagree with the criticism levelled at him for that decision because I think a thoughtful reader can see the broader criticism in the text. Fiction is not an academic history book and sometimes intelligent fiction can lead the reader to independently dig deeper in a topic. I don't read in Chinese so I can't compare this translation to the original, however, it reads very well and the translator's style seems well-matched to the text - it's not stilted or clunky. Definitely well worth reading if you haven't already.
30judylou
That one sounds very interesting. I have wishlisted it and hope I can get to read it this year.
31klarusu
20.1 ICELAND
The Whispering Muse by Sjon
Translator: Victoria Cribb
I'm on the fence with this one. Quirky, humorous and satirical, it certainly had some of the magic I associate with Sjon's writing but sometimes it just didn't quite work for me. A comical buffoon of a protagonist (who published a journal on the consumption of fish and its link to Icelandic superiority) sets sail on a working boat for a cruise that he received as a gift and this is the backdrop for a dual-sided narrative: his experience of the cruise and the layered myths that the ship's storyteller recounts each evening for the entertainment of the passengers and crew. An interesting perspective on the nature of narrative tradition and storytelling (but something I think was explored better by Philip Pullman in The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ) and while whimsical, lacking in the true magic I found in The Blue Fox, my first experience of Sjon.
The Whispering Muse by Sjon
Translator: Victoria Cribb
I'm on the fence with this one. Quirky, humorous and satirical, it certainly had some of the magic I associate with Sjon's writing but sometimes it just didn't quite work for me. A comical buffoon of a protagonist (who published a journal on the consumption of fish and its link to Icelandic superiority) sets sail on a working boat for a cruise that he received as a gift and this is the backdrop for a dual-sided narrative: his experience of the cruise and the layered myths that the ship's storyteller recounts each evening for the entertainment of the passengers and crew. An interesting perspective on the nature of narrative tradition and storytelling (but something I think was explored better by Philip Pullman in The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ) and while whimsical, lacking in the true magic I found in The Blue Fox, my first experience of Sjon.
32klarusu
23.1 ITALY
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Translator: William Weaver
Calvino recounts a traveller's description of many imaginary cities in a beautiful piece of wordcraft. I love his use of language and the truly unusual way he leads the reader to re-examine and re-imagine the world we ourselves inhabit. Calvino may not be for everyone but if he catches your imagination, this book will transport you on a unique journey.
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Translator: William Weaver
Calvino recounts a traveller's description of many imaginary cities in a beautiful piece of wordcraft. I love his use of language and the truly unusual way he leads the reader to re-examine and re-imagine the world we ourselves inhabit. Calvino may not be for everyone but if he catches your imagination, this book will transport you on a unique journey.
33klarusu
13.3 NORTH KOREA
The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwang
Translator: Pierre Rigolout
I read this non-fiction account of the author's formative years spent in a North Korean internment camp at the same time as North Korea: A State of Paranoia by Paul French, which provided a solid background to this personal account. The allure of North Korea lays in its overwhelming isolation and mystery so a first hand account of the life for individuals who spend significant portions of their lives in concentration/internment camps for perceived slights against the state has great appeal. This book was an interesting window on that. The compelling nature of the subject matter went someway to balancing out the less exciting prose. That said, it wasn't a tough read at all. Definitely worth a look if this part of the world intrigues you.
The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwang
Translator: Pierre Rigolout
I read this non-fiction account of the author's formative years spent in a North Korean internment camp at the same time as North Korea: A State of Paranoia by Paul French, which provided a solid background to this personal account. The allure of North Korea lays in its overwhelming isolation and mystery so a first hand account of the life for individuals who spend significant portions of their lives in concentration/internment camps for perceived slights against the state has great appeal. This book was an interesting window on that. The compelling nature of the subject matter went someway to balancing out the less exciting prose. That said, it wasn't a tough read at all. Definitely worth a look if this part of the world intrigues you.
34klarusu
6.13 NIGERIA
Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay (Audiobook)
I didn't embark on this book as a Reading Globally book but by the time I finished it, I realised that it was intimately linked to Nigeria. Poet and author Jackie Kay weaves the story of her search for her birth parents - her mother in the conservative confines of a Scotland of the past, her father at the end of a red dust road in Nigeria, one that brought him to Scotland for scholarship and that leads Kay back to her Nigerian homelands for the first time as an adult. Spinning the tale from words which lend hope to an otherwise difficult piece of personal and social history, Kay's narration pulls you into this journey along the red dust road to her past and one view of Nigeria's present. As a writer, she crafts characters that are alive in the narration and I left the book feeling that I had walked some of the way on that road alongside her, marvelling at both the foreignness and the familiarity of the Nigeria envisaged here. The narrative moved between time-frames but this shifting landscape was always tied to the road of discovery Kay was travelling and for me, this added to the music of the book. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audio as Kay's narration brings a small measure of magic to the story that my internal voice would have lacked.
Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay (Audiobook)
I didn't embark on this book as a Reading Globally book but by the time I finished it, I realised that it was intimately linked to Nigeria. Poet and author Jackie Kay weaves the story of her search for her birth parents - her mother in the conservative confines of a Scotland of the past, her father at the end of a red dust road in Nigeria, one that brought him to Scotland for scholarship and that leads Kay back to her Nigerian homelands for the first time as an adult. Spinning the tale from words which lend hope to an otherwise difficult piece of personal and social history, Kay's narration pulls you into this journey along the red dust road to her past and one view of Nigeria's present. As a writer, she crafts characters that are alive in the narration and I left the book feeling that I had walked some of the way on that road alongside her, marvelling at both the foreignness and the familiarity of the Nigeria envisaged here. The narrative moved between time-frames but this shifting landscape was always tied to the road of discovery Kay was travelling and for me, this added to the music of the book. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audio as Kay's narration brings a small measure of magic to the story that my internal voice would have lacked.
35klarusu
17.9 IRAQ
The Iraqi Christ by Hassan Blasim
Translator: Jonathan Wright
I picked this up whilst browsing in a bookshop at St Pancras' Station. Nothing beats the random, amazing gems that you find when waiting for trains with a bank card and poor impulse control. I really do love well-written short stories - when an author understands that a short story is an art form to be perfected rather than just a shorter piece of fiction writing - and these stories were so well-written. They all have some kind of connection to contemporary Iraq but Blasim writes superbly off-beat stories which lead you somewhere you are surprised to go. When I bought this, I thought that it may represent a collection of tales that form some kind of overt description of the years of war but instead, whilst always present, the conflict-state and the violence are often alluded to in such a subtle and original way that it takes you by surprise. This is a collection that I really will come back to and read for a second time because for me it was exactly that, a collection, a whole entity. Having reached the end, I feel that I need to come back and reread the earlier stories because I know that my perspective and reception of them will now have changed. I can strongly recommend this to anyone with an interest in short fiction or translated writing.
The Iraqi Christ by Hassan Blasim
Translator: Jonathan Wright
I picked this up whilst browsing in a bookshop at St Pancras' Station. Nothing beats the random, amazing gems that you find when waiting for trains with a bank card and poor impulse control. I really do love well-written short stories - when an author understands that a short story is an art form to be perfected rather than just a shorter piece of fiction writing - and these stories were so well-written. They all have some kind of connection to contemporary Iraq but Blasim writes superbly off-beat stories which lead you somewhere you are surprised to go. When I bought this, I thought that it may represent a collection of tales that form some kind of overt description of the years of war but instead, whilst always present, the conflict-state and the violence are often alluded to in such a subtle and original way that it takes you by surprise. This is a collection that I really will come back to and read for a second time because for me it was exactly that, a collection, a whole entity. Having reached the end, I feel that I need to come back and reread the earlier stories because I know that my perspective and reception of them will now have changed. I can strongly recommend this to anyone with an interest in short fiction or translated writing.
36klarusu
1.15 ZIMBABWE
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
This is a novel where character voice positively sings - with such a rich selection of characters (young and old), that makes for a hugely engaging story. From the monetary poverty of the shanty town called Paradise to the cultural poverty of an immigrant's life in America, Darling comes alive and opens a window into a world we rarely see for what it is in the current political and financial climate: the life of a migrant child separated from her family and culture in the hope that it would give her a 'better' life. It's a novel of otherness - the choices made by Darling's family for her security and well-being ultimately separate her from her birth culture and family but never quite manage to integrate her into the new life she inhabits. This is a really worthwhile read. I'd highly recommend it.
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
This is a novel where character voice positively sings - with such a rich selection of characters (young and old), that makes for a hugely engaging story. From the monetary poverty of the shanty town called Paradise to the cultural poverty of an immigrant's life in America, Darling comes alive and opens a window into a world we rarely see for what it is in the current political and financial climate: the life of a migrant child separated from her family and culture in the hope that it would give her a 'better' life. It's a novel of otherness - the choices made by Darling's family for her security and well-being ultimately separate her from her birth culture and family but never quite manage to integrate her into the new life she inhabits. This is a really worthwhile read. I'd highly recommend it.
37klarusu
9.2 COLUMBIA
The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
There's something about literature from South America that just catches me and this was no exception. A murderous event affects two male acquaintances - one tragically and one irreparably. This book revolves around the surviving man's quest to reclaim himself, albeit a different version of, by filling in the gaps of the life history of his companion on the street the day that shots are fired. It's less a rebuilding and more an excavation - digging into the past of the man he knew so little of, Antonio unearths parts of himself but also he unearths the chequered history of a nation blighted by conflict and deeply affected by the drugs trade. Eventually, among the ruins of Escobar's mansion, shared experience highlights the ruins of the lives that lie equally abandoned. The combination of the reader's need to fill in the blanks of what happened one tragic day on the streets of Bogota and the evocative description of a complex country with a difficult history, make for a compelling read.
The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
There's something about literature from South America that just catches me and this was no exception. A murderous event affects two male acquaintances - one tragically and one irreparably. This book revolves around the surviving man's quest to reclaim himself, albeit a different version of, by filling in the gaps of the life history of his companion on the street the day that shots are fired. It's less a rebuilding and more an excavation - digging into the past of the man he knew so little of, Antonio unearths parts of himself but also he unearths the chequered history of a nation blighted by conflict and deeply affected by the drugs trade. Eventually, among the ruins of Escobar's mansion, shared experience highlights the ruins of the lives that lie equally abandoned. The combination of the reader's need to fill in the blanks of what happened one tragic day on the streets of Bogota and the evocative description of a complex country with a difficult history, make for a compelling read.
38klarusu
13.2 SOUTH KOREA
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
This is a tough one to rate. Told from 3 different perspectives, it is a bleak little book that details the mental deterioration of a woman, enacted through her withdrawal from reality and her descent into an extreme vegetarian lifestyle which is contrary to all cultural norms. It was a very well-written book and I can see why the author made stylistic choices she did but I really didn't like this book. There wasn't a single character I liked or empathised with. For me, this meant it was more of a technical exercise in reading (of which is was an exemplary example) than a pleasurable experience.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
This is a tough one to rate. Told from 3 different perspectives, it is a bleak little book that details the mental deterioration of a woman, enacted through her withdrawal from reality and her descent into an extreme vegetarian lifestyle which is contrary to all cultural norms. It was a very well-written book and I can see why the author made stylistic choices she did but I really didn't like this book. There wasn't a single character I liked or empathised with. For me, this meant it was more of a technical exercise in reading (of which is was an exemplary example) than a pleasurable experience.
39klarusu
6.13 NIGERIA
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I loved this audiobook. It was darkly comic in places, hugely evocative of place, and every character was crafted with richness and an attention to small details that meant that they lived and breathed off the page. I would definitely recommend it - it's a quick read or listen. The audiobook narrator was superb, too.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I loved this audiobook. It was darkly comic in places, hugely evocative of place, and every character was crafted with richness and an attention to small details that meant that they lived and breathed off the page. I would definitely recommend it - it's a quick read or listen. The audiobook narrator was superb, too.