A review by jg1876
Pandora in the Congo by Albert Sánchez Piñol
5.0
I'll be honest. When I first picked this up, I was intrigued but not overwhelmingly excited about reading it.
And then I started. Within seconds, I was hooked. The protagonist's name is Thomas Thomson, which immediately sets up a tone of whimsy and sort of naivety, which is exactly how the protagonist portrays himself. All one needs to know is Mr. Thomson was the ghostwriter of a ghostwriter of a ghostwriter and that leads him to a position working for a barrister writing the story of a prisoner awaiting trial.
Throughout the course of the story, the reader begins to wonder who is telling the truth and questioning the outrageousness of the story the prisoner tells and Mr. Thomson relays. By the time I reached the middle of the book, I was completely absorbed in the story taking place both in the Congo and England.
Strangely enough, Mr. Thomson's story evokes a bit of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness - whether or not that was intentional, I do not know, but I certainly saw some parallels.
All in all, I was completely absorbed by this book. Upon completion, I put it down and simply sat there, digesting everything I had read. It's rare that I experience that sort of "Wow" moment, but Pandora in the Congo certainly does that much and more. I'm surprised it's not all over the New York Times Best Seller list - though I look forward to reading more from this author for sure.
And then I started. Within seconds, I was hooked. The protagonist's name is Thomas Thomson, which immediately sets up a tone of whimsy and sort of naivety, which is exactly how the protagonist portrays himself. All one needs to know is Mr. Thomson was the ghostwriter of a ghostwriter of a ghostwriter and that leads him to a position working for a barrister writing the story of a prisoner awaiting trial.
Throughout the course of the story, the reader begins to wonder who is telling the truth and questioning the outrageousness of the story the prisoner tells and Mr. Thomson relays. By the time I reached the middle of the book, I was completely absorbed in the story taking place both in the Congo and England.
Strangely enough, Mr. Thomson's story evokes a bit of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness - whether or not that was intentional, I do not know, but I certainly saw some parallels.
All in all, I was completely absorbed by this book. Upon completion, I put it down and simply sat there, digesting everything I had read. It's rare that I experience that sort of "Wow" moment, but Pandora in the Congo certainly does that much and more. I'm surprised it's not all over the New York Times Best Seller list - though I look forward to reading more from this author for sure.