zoedebeus's review against another edition
Eindelijk uit letterlijk een maand over gedaan was opzoch wel interessant want je gaat helemaal mee met de gedachtes van iemand die een serial killer probeert te zijn maar geen idee waarom ik mezelf r niet toe kon zetten om verder tr lezen
anetq's review against another edition
3.0
A good-for-nothing misogynist guy decides to become a famous murderer like his idol. Except he's not great at that either.
jaiminh0's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
sammibreads's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
3.0
I really sped through this, very easy to read but it like felt translated ? Some pretty gross sections, some funny sections. I enjoyed how in his head you felt, the writing really pushed that. Creepy little man, wish it was more about Angoualima if I’m honest !
kchisholm's review against another edition
3.0
When AFRICAN PSYCHO by Alain Mabanckou arrived in my book stack, I really wasn't sure what to expect. I've finished it now and I'm still not sure what I got. But I do remember it!
Gregoire is a neglected child - an ugly child - an anonymous child - abandoned by his parents - he's raised in an increasingly haphazard manner really by himself mostly. He vows he will be different. He will be remembered. He vows to escape his humdrum reality and commit a spectacular murder. Just like his idol - the serial killer Angoualima. Angoualima is Gregoire's guide, his mentor, his hero. He's dead, but that doesn't mean that Gregoire is separated from him, often sharing his plans when sitting on Angoualima's grave.
Told in Gregoire's own voice, AFRICAN PSYCHO is a journey into the macabre, the funny, the sad, the desperate and the disturbing. At the same time, there are great sweeping vistas of the absurd - not the least because the author uses the most bizarre names for places - "He-Who-Drinks-Water-Is-An-Idiot" is where Gregoire lives. The novel isn't set in a real place, just as Gregoire's life is somehow not quite real.
AFRICAN PSYCHO isn't a book that fits into any "category" that's for sure. It's frequently weird, it's often confusing, but at the same time it's compelling, intriguing and just a little sad. Gregoire's an unreliable narrator in some ways, not by artifice or to manipulate. He's fragile. He's very damaged. The world he lives in isn't anywhere near where the rest of us lead our lives.
It's not an easy book to read, partially because it doesn't fit into any particular pattern or mould. It's also not an easy book to read as Gregoire's somebody who despite everything, that you could very well find yourself caring about - a lot.
Gregoire is a neglected child - an ugly child - an anonymous child - abandoned by his parents - he's raised in an increasingly haphazard manner really by himself mostly. He vows he will be different. He will be remembered. He vows to escape his humdrum reality and commit a spectacular murder. Just like his idol - the serial killer Angoualima. Angoualima is Gregoire's guide, his mentor, his hero. He's dead, but that doesn't mean that Gregoire is separated from him, often sharing his plans when sitting on Angoualima's grave.
Told in Gregoire's own voice, AFRICAN PSYCHO is a journey into the macabre, the funny, the sad, the desperate and the disturbing. At the same time, there are great sweeping vistas of the absurd - not the least because the author uses the most bizarre names for places - "He-Who-Drinks-Water-Is-An-Idiot" is where Gregoire lives. The novel isn't set in a real place, just as Gregoire's life is somehow not quite real.
AFRICAN PSYCHO isn't a book that fits into any "category" that's for sure. It's frequently weird, it's often confusing, but at the same time it's compelling, intriguing and just a little sad. Gregoire's an unreliable narrator in some ways, not by artifice or to manipulate. He's fragile. He's very damaged. The world he lives in isn't anywhere near where the rest of us lead our lives.
It's not an easy book to read, partially because it doesn't fit into any particular pattern or mould. It's also not an easy book to read as Gregoire's somebody who despite everything, that you could very well find yourself caring about - a lot.
kchisholm's review against another edition
3.0
When AFRICAN PSYCHO by Alain Mabanckou arrived in my book stack, I really wasn't sure what to expect. I've finished it now and I'm still not sure what I got. But I do remember it!
Gregoire is a neglected child - an ugly child - an anonymous child - abandoned by his parents - he's raised in an increasingly haphazard manner really by himself mostly. He vows he will be different. He will be remembered. He vows to escape his humdrum reality and commit a spectacular murder. Just like his idol - the serial killer Angoualima. Angoualima is Gregoire's guide, his mentor, his hero. He's dead, but that doesn't mean that Gregoire is separated from him, often sharing his plans when sitting on Angoualima's grave.
Told in Gregoire's own voice, AFRICAN PSYCHO is a journey into the macabre, the funny, the sad, the desperate and the disturbing. At the same time, there are great sweeping vistas of the absurd - not the least because the author uses the most bizarre names for places - "He-Who-Drinks-Water-Is-An-Idiot" is where Gregoire lives. The novel isn't set in a real place, just as Gregoire's life is somehow not quite real.
AFRICAN PSYCHO isn't a book that fits into any "category" that's for sure. It's frequently weird, it's often confusing, but at the same time it's compelling, intriguing and just a little sad. Gregoire's an unreliable narrator in some ways, not by artifice or to manipulate. He's fragile. He's very damaged. The world he lives in isn't anywhere near where the rest of us lead our lives.
It's not an easy book to read, partially because it doesn't fit into any particular pattern or mould. It's also not an easy book to read as Gregoire's somebody who despite everything, that you could very well find yourself caring about - a lot.
Gregoire is a neglected child - an ugly child - an anonymous child - abandoned by his parents - he's raised in an increasingly haphazard manner really by himself mostly. He vows he will be different. He will be remembered. He vows to escape his humdrum reality and commit a spectacular murder. Just like his idol - the serial killer Angoualima. Angoualima is Gregoire's guide, his mentor, his hero. He's dead, but that doesn't mean that Gregoire is separated from him, often sharing his plans when sitting on Angoualima's grave.
Told in Gregoire's own voice, AFRICAN PSYCHO is a journey into the macabre, the funny, the sad, the desperate and the disturbing. At the same time, there are great sweeping vistas of the absurd - not the least because the author uses the most bizarre names for places - "He-Who-Drinks-Water-Is-An-Idiot" is where Gregoire lives. The novel isn't set in a real place, just as Gregoire's life is somehow not quite real.
AFRICAN PSYCHO isn't a book that fits into any "category" that's for sure. It's frequently weird, it's often confusing, but at the same time it's compelling, intriguing and just a little sad. Gregoire's an unreliable narrator in some ways, not by artifice or to manipulate. He's fragile. He's very damaged. The world he lives in isn't anywhere near where the rest of us lead our lives.
It's not an easy book to read, partially because it doesn't fit into any particular pattern or mould. It's also not an easy book to read as Gregoire's somebody who despite everything, that you could very well find yourself caring about - a lot.
writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
African Psycho by Alain Mabanckou, trans. Christine Schwartz Hartley 🔪
🔪 The plot: Grégoire is a petty criminal who longs to be like his idol, the serial killer Angoualima. The problem is that Grégoire is not very good at killing people, and though he confers with Angoualima's ghost on the regular, his record isn't improving...
To be honest, I'm not really sure I "got" this book. I think this is firstly because it relies heavily on literary references I'm not familiar with (like American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis but I think there were some Russian classic influences in there too). [EDIT: My boyfriend, who read and really liked this, says he'd read Crime and Punishment six months before this and felt like the parallels to that were what he most enjoyed about it.] I also wish I had a better understanding of Congolese history and politics because I found Grégoire as a narrator the most interesting when he was observing his fellow countrymen and the neighbourhood he lived in.
Unfortunately without the context to frame what I was reading, it was just a lot of Gregoire fanboying over a serial killer and planning horrific rapes and murders, and even attempting one at one point. While I think depicting these acts and impulses in literature isn't necessarily bad - it depends how they're done and what their point is - my lack of knowledge made it quite an exhausting read. If it was making a point about misogynistic violence, it went over my head!
For that reason I've not shared my star rating for this one because I just don't think my opinion is very informed. Oh well! Onwards!
🔪 Read it if you do have the references I spoke about above (or even if you don't - my boyfriend hasn't read American Psycho but he really enjoyed this) and if you love reading a twisted narrator.
🚫 Avoid it if you aren't in a place to read about violence, particularly against women, and rape.
🔪 The plot: Grégoire is a petty criminal who longs to be like his idol, the serial killer Angoualima. The problem is that Grégoire is not very good at killing people, and though he confers with Angoualima's ghost on the regular, his record isn't improving...
To be honest, I'm not really sure I "got" this book. I think this is firstly because it relies heavily on literary references I'm not familiar with (like American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis but I think there were some Russian classic influences in there too). [EDIT: My boyfriend, who read and really liked this, says he'd read Crime and Punishment six months before this and felt like the parallels to that were what he most enjoyed about it.] I also wish I had a better understanding of Congolese history and politics because I found Grégoire as a narrator the most interesting when he was observing his fellow countrymen and the neighbourhood he lived in.
Unfortunately without the context to frame what I was reading, it was just a lot of Gregoire fanboying over a serial killer and planning horrific rapes and murders, and even attempting one at one point. While I think depicting these acts and impulses in literature isn't necessarily bad - it depends how they're done and what their point is - my lack of knowledge made it quite an exhausting read. If it was making a point about misogynistic violence, it went over my head!
For that reason I've not shared my star rating for this one because I just don't think my opinion is very informed. Oh well! Onwards!
🔪 Read it if you do have the references I spoke about above (or even if you don't - my boyfriend hasn't read American Psycho but he really enjoyed this) and if you love reading a twisted narrator.
🚫 Avoid it if you aren't in a place to read about violence, particularly against women, and rape.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
mkhusu's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I really did enjoy this book but I am giving it less than 4 stars as it had some parts of it that I thought was a little tedious and perhaps even stupid.
However, it starts off really strong and carries on like that for a while and then it has what I think is a really good ending as well.
I love how gruesome the author is. Really says everything exactly as he visions it and does not romanticise his language. That can catch you off guard a little but it is also what makes this book so good.
However, it starts off really strong and carries on like that for a while and then it has what I think is a really good ending as well.
I love how gruesome the author is. Really says everything exactly as he visions it and does not romanticise his language. That can catch you off guard a little but it is also what makes this book so good.
arrianne's review against another edition
4.0
CW: murder, violence against women, sexual violence.
A short one, about an African wannabe murderer who really just isn’t very good at it. Entertaining, funny, but definitely gruesome.
Written entirely from inside the head of the will-he-won’t-he aspiring serial killer, focussing on his obsessive thoughts about his idol. At the peak of his feverish obsession with murder, it becomes a several page run-on sentence and you can feel his urge to do the deed but he’s also like every guy who’s ever boasted about being The Big Man. Stop talking and just get on with it...
A short one, about an African wannabe murderer who really just isn’t very good at it. Entertaining, funny, but definitely gruesome.
Written entirely from inside the head of the will-he-won’t-he aspiring serial killer, focussing on his obsessive thoughts about his idol. At the peak of his feverish obsession with murder, it becomes a several page run-on sentence and you can feel his urge to do the deed but he’s also like every guy who’s ever boasted about being The Big Man. Stop talking and just get on with it...
rach_reads_books's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe the dark humour was lost in translation as it was a dry read for me. The beginning of the story held a lot of promise but then it petered out with an anticlimactic ending.