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jb_slasher's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
What is interesting about this book is that it gives a picture of an Africa torn apart by violence and corrupt dictators who are being manipulated by the superpowers of the Soviet Union and the US who are seeking to establish a new colonialism in place of the traditional powers such as Portugal and contrasts it movingly with an intelligent and humane lead character, an African revolutionary whose life is affected by the love of a woman he meets in Russia. The story is told by a Russian spy who has met Elias Almeida, our hero, as they are held captive by Angolan rebels on the Congo border, the scenes are graphic in their violence and we then learn Elias's story. Elias is the son of an Angolan revolutionary in the 1960's as Angola fights for independence from Portugal, and we see the horrors of life at that time as Elias flees to Congo to find his father. He then moves to Cuba and then to Russia to train as a spy/ revolutionary to further Russia colonial aims in Africa. In Russia ,as an African who becomes victim of Racism meets the beautiful Anna and finds acceptance by her and her family/acquaintances in a Siberia still reeling from life of the labour camps. The novel then sweeps forward over time throughout the 70's 80's and 90's in Africa as we see Elias's role in countries ruled by corrupt dictators. A short novel which is really worth reading to learn about the exploitation of Africa and perhaps more importantly a picture of how love impacts on a man and the choices he makes when in that continent inhumanity could have been an easy choice yet he chooses a different path . Not a book to read for a plot driven story but one i would recommend as a picture of humanity and the corruption of a continent, some scenes are harrowing in their violence, comically gross in portrayal of use of sex (the European woman head of an arts delegation and the African artist), but beautiful in the scenes of snow bound Siberia creating vivid contrasts.Many of the scenes are clear metaphors for the exploitation of Africa, such as the soldiers grabbing diamond dust out of a dying womans mouth , the breaking of a womans collar bone, they are metaphors used efeectively. A very interesting book and I willl look for more by the author.
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