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seventhswan's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I don't know if it was the translation or the author's intent, but the tone of this book was extremely detached and fragmented, so it was hard for me to get invested in the storyline and occasionally for me to follow what was going on. There were individual chapters that were really gripping, but then the story would go somewhere else and never really refer to those events again. I thought the book came together in the final third and wondered if it was just taking a while to get going - but then it ended, with a total lack of resolution. I just felt like the story was too serious to be told in such a remote, almost flippant way; either the plot needed to be more lighthearted and less realistic, or the tone needed to be darker and more serious.
That said, I knew next to nothing about Cameroon when I started reading and now know a little more, and I thought the ability to make the setting clear and real when I expect few readers will be intimately familiar with it was a strength of this book. I also thought the characters, while not often lovable, were real-feeling and interesting - if only they had developed more over the course of the story.
That said, I knew next to nothing about Cameroon when I started reading and now know a little more, and I thought the ability to make the setting clear and real when I expect few readers will be intimately familiar with it was a strength of this book. I also thought the characters, while not often lovable, were real-feeling and interesting - if only they had developed more over the course of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, and Transphobia
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Antisemitism, Abortion, and Colonisation
thebestdarnthing's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
an adventure told through the offensive eye of a cameroonian teenager (which was a bit uncomfortable but somewhat inevitable due to his christian west african background, i am nigerian and it's not far off from how boys are here) i find some merit in this book, like the depictions of west african life and the gloom of terrorism, it's moments of humour and it's critiques of religion. i wanted there to be a romance unfortunately, that would be a wild wish as any signs of build up were whisked away, the story shows promise for something much better but colours itself an underwhelming journey by its last page.
underbroen's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
siria's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
2.75
In A Long Way from Douala, teenage Jean and his friend (and secret crush) Simon team up to try to find Jean's brother Roger, who has run away from home in the aftermath of their father's death in the hope of making it to Europe. Max Lobe provides a vivid picture of life in contemporary Cameroon, and I liked the rhythms of his dialogue and his use of Camfranglais (a slang mash-up of French, English, and indigeneous African languages). Yet as a coming-of-age novel it never quite... well, comes of age. And while Jean's sexism and transphobia aren't that surprising, given that he's a repressed teenager raised in an explicitly patriarchal evangelical Christian household, the continual misogyny and vitriol made for a wearying read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Transphobia
elloelliot's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
worthleyv's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Transphobia
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Fatphobia, Racism, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia
jade_valenzuela's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
An critical, funny and sometimes bleak look at life in Cameroon as one boy and his friend travel across the country in search of the main character’s brother who runs off after their father dies. It’s a novel full of self exploration, love, anger and hope.
erinshinereads's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
raphaelle_a's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’ve never read a book that ended on the most unsatisfactory cliff hanger before this one.
Being from Cameroon, I was really interested in reading from a Cameroonian author I had never heard of before. This book to me was a satirical way of exposing the ridiculousness of the Cameroonian way of living, as well as the exploitation and abuse Cameroonians turn to for remedy as opposed to fostering real change. The underlying nod at the rejection of any sexual orientation other than heterosexual was also very loud. Especially when it seems that the main characters may very well have similar longings and yet a deep hatred for those desires.
I am giving this book a 3 stars because to me it did not add anything to the conversation about what is wrong with Cameroon. It seemed like a recollection of a wild story someone lived, but without any kind of interesting ending. This was more an overall critique of a regime than anything else. I know it’s supposed to be a fictional book, but it seemed to be very light on the fiction.
I would have loved to get more of Roger’s side. What did he go through? Why did he convert? How were his few days in the North that seemed to be so different and at the antipodes of Douala? I think that would’ve added to the story a lot.
I also believe that anyone picking this book up should get it in the French translation if possible, because I really think a lot of the authors “voice” was lost in translation. Overall, a very easy, one seating read!
Being from Cameroon, I was really interested in reading from a Cameroonian author I had never heard of before. This book to me was a satirical way of exposing the ridiculousness of the Cameroonian way of living, as well as the exploitation and abuse Cameroonians turn to for remedy as opposed to fostering real change. The underlying nod at the rejection of any sexual orientation other than heterosexual was also very loud. Especially when it seems that the main characters may very well have similar longings and yet a deep hatred for those desires.
I am giving this book a 3 stars because to me it did not add anything to the conversation about what is wrong with Cameroon. It seemed like a recollection of a wild story someone lived, but without any kind of interesting ending. This was more an overall critique of a regime than anything else. I know it’s supposed to be a fictional book, but it seemed to be very light on the fiction.
I would have loved to get more of Roger’s side. What did he go through? Why did he convert? How were his few days in the North that seemed to be so different and at the antipodes of Douala? I think that would’ve added to the story a lot.
I also believe that anyone picking this book up should get it in the French translation if possible, because I really think a lot of the authors “voice” was lost in translation. Overall, a very easy, one seating read!
amyjo25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25