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kcfromaustcrime'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.
gianluigib75's review against another edition
http://senzaudio.it/alain-mabanckou-african-psycho/
sophiedavenport's review against another edition
3.0
If I knew when I bought it that this was a post modernist style, stream of consciousness text, I may not have picked it up. However, I'm glad I did as the ideas in the book were really different from other books I've read that center arround crime. It was genuinely funny, which I wasn't expecting. ***
wabisabigio's review against another edition
dark
tense
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
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
charliebnl's review
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
idah_mrashui's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
dajna's review against another edition
3.0
Una strana lettura, dove l'eroe è il cattivo di turno ed i suoi emuli.
Il nostro protagonista vorrebbe tanto entrare nel pantheon degli assassini, ma non ne ha la stoffa.
Mabanckou spinge sull'abitudine che abbiamo di idolizzare chi va contro le regole della società e prende in giro il criminale fallito, il wannabe della cronaca nera. Forse la sto facendo più profonda di quanto non sia, ma a volte il romanzo mi ha fatto pensare al fenomeno degli influencer. La ricerca del posto giusto e dell'arma giusta per compiere l'omicidio, non per comodità ma per estetica (cosa penseranno di me se userò una cosa banale come un coltello?) ricordano vagamente la necessità di trovare lo sfondo giusto per la perfetta foto su Instagram. La vita ha già punito abbastanza Gregoire dandogli un testone rettangolare e facendolo vivere nell'anonimato di un quartiere tuttavia si affaccia su una zona migliore della città. L'invidia che prova è universale, persino le prostitute del paese vicino sono un prato più verde di quello in cui si muove lui. Fulcro del romanzo è quindi riuscire ad emergere, a differenziarsi, a diventare qualcuno.
Breve commento sui nomi propri: vorrei tanto sapere perchè i vari bar e quartieri e negozi si chiamano così! A parte la storia della Senna locale, la toponomastica è tanto narrativa quanto inspiegata.
Il nostro protagonista vorrebbe tanto entrare nel pantheon degli assassini, ma non ne ha la stoffa.
Mabanckou spinge sull'abitudine che abbiamo di idolizzare chi va contro le regole della società e prende in giro il criminale fallito, il wannabe della cronaca nera. Forse la sto facendo più profonda di quanto non sia, ma a volte il romanzo mi ha fatto pensare al fenomeno degli influencer. La ricerca del posto giusto e dell'arma giusta per compiere l'omicidio, non per comodità ma per estetica (cosa penseranno di me se userò una cosa banale come un coltello?) ricordano vagamente la necessità di trovare lo sfondo giusto per la perfetta foto su Instagram. La vita ha già punito abbastanza Gregoire dandogli un testone rettangolare e facendolo vivere nell'anonimato di un quartiere tuttavia si affaccia su una zona migliore della città. L'invidia che prova è universale, persino le prostitute del paese vicino sono un prato più verde di quello in cui si muove lui. Fulcro del romanzo è quindi riuscire ad emergere, a differenziarsi, a diventare qualcuno.
Breve commento sui nomi propri: vorrei tanto sapere perchè i vari bar e quartieri e negozi si chiamano così! A parte la storia della Senna locale, la toponomastica è tanto narrativa quanto inspiegata.
juliemanning's review
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Blood, and Alcohol