Reviews

Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou

haunted_klaus's review against another edition

challenging funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mirto's review

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

malleveria's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

5.0

archie_loves_books's review against another edition

4.0

I studied this novel as a part of my Animal Studies class and I have never read a book of this nature before. The format in which this novel is written is absolutely incredible as it corresponds completely to the overall message of the plot. The themes of animal doubles and hybridity critique the belief system of human exceptionalism as well as binary dualism, while promoting critical thinking. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Animal Studies and/or wants a refreshing take on animal culture in society.

blanche_l's review against another edition

3.0

.

readingwithchlo's review against another edition

3.0

3.5*

not sure how to review this, the whole book is from a porcupine’s POV but I really enjoyed it - social commentary is cleverly interwoven but I didn’t understand a lot of it as it’s heavily based on folklore.

still liked it though!

sadscorpxo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

maghily's review against another edition

4.0

Quelle curieuse lecture que ce roman ! Il s'agit d'une fable retraçant les aventures d'un porc-épic, double nuisible d'un charpentier qui n'aime pas être contrarié. A la mort de son maître, il se réfugie sous un baobab auquel il raconte les méfaits qu'il a commis et partage ses pensées sur la psychologie des hommes...
L'écriture d'Alain Mabanckou peut surprendre, notamment par le fait qu'il n'utilise pas d'autre ponctuation que la virgule. Cela donne un caractère d'urgence à la lecture, comme si le porc-épic ne pouvait arrêter son récit. C'est décontenançant.

mellon89's review against another edition

3.0

Written in the same format as Mabanckou's Verre Cassé (no punctuation other than commas, missing chapter titles), this is a folkloric tale of Kibandi and his double, a porcupine. The narrator of the tale is the porcupine itself, who tells us from the beginning that he has, to his surprise, outlived his master and is sure that he will soon die as well. He takes refuge at the base of a baobab and tells his story: how he became a "nuisible" or double, becoming bonded to Kibandi as his master, carrying out Kibandi's bidding, and Kibandi's spiral out of control leading to his death.

Interesting themes that I would like to discuss further: the humans from the animals' point of view, the view of Kibandi's village of the "white man" that comes in to document their rituals, the idea of having the nuisible as well as "un autre lui-même," the use of the folklore/fairy tale writing, and how it links to Verre Cassé (since in fact these two books are part of a trilogy planned by the author).

sharkybookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A porcupine recounts the increasingly violent missions he went on as the evil “double” (henchman…henchporcupine?) of a man.

This one is a bit hard to review because I enjoyed it, but I’m also mildly confused. Mabanckou delves into human nature, greed and power, but I am fairly sure there is a deeper intellectual commentary which completely went over my head (is the porcupine a metaphor?). I don’t even mind though, because it’s an entertaining read. It’s written as the non-stop stream of consciousness of a disdainful porcupine - there’s a severe lack of full stops, but rather than finding this irritating, I was swept along by the writing, and it’s all slightly bonkers. The story is based on Congolese folklore, which I don’t think I’ve read before, so that was satisfying and I also enjoyed the insights into both Congolese and porcupine society. A slightly perplexing but enjoyable read that looks at human nature, greed and power…from the unique perspective of a villainous porcupine.