Wednesday, February 18, 2015

I'm back and Open City

I'm back.

I am not the most consistent blogger but I am on a mission to do better. So let's go.

I recently finished Open City by Teju Cole. Let me tell you, it was a journey. A journey full of the stories of strangers, no quotation marks and different countries. There are also interesting history facts. There is, however, no plot. None. Zip. Not there. Nope.

The lack of plot is what made this book a challenge for me. There is also a 'twist' introduced towards the end of the novel that tainted some of my enjoyment of the book. It was the kind of information that doesn't seem to fit until you think about it. I was upset (pissed) at first but it did add a darker shade on other parts of the book. So, I understood but I still wasn't pleased.

That being said, I don't regret reading it all the way to the end. It dragged for me at times and it definitely isn't a "pick me up" read. Nevertheless, it was well written and more engaging than not. What worked for me the most were the stories of the people he met. The stories had a common thread of struggle but were still diverse. They also provided us a small break from the narrator's head which was well needed at times. 
I would definitely read more by this author. 

Photo from http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/palimpsest-city/ Follow the link for an interview with the author.