Critiques et Commentaires

as often in collections of short stories it is a mixed bag. my three favourites - "being", was reminded of Stephen King - "the test", a really effective dystopian vignette (honorable mention "trespass", a greater than expected pulp story) - "the last day", a reflection about world's end

i have to admit, i expected something like a travel journal and got some kind of a novel. a difficult spot: the meetings and observations in germany in 1958 were interesting, but maybe 'invented'. and the author's reflections about the nature of 'the german', riddled with a reference-game, were rather artificial and old fashioned.

it's a gothic horror novel that feels like the movies from the thirties to me. you know what will happen and most of the time you are not convinced of the effects, but the mood and setting is excellent. maybe a bit too much of a chain of episodes...

this book sets the record straight by telling the histories of africa in their own right, not as a footnote or mere challenge to people from outside.

Badawi is visiting and citing contemporary african historians and in this way exploring the (fragile?) self image of the continent.

fascinating read!

yes, it is cozy and yes, there are cats -- but the crime story is grim and gains such a grip that it feels odd to be gloved with the setting