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A review by hetauuu
By Night the Mountain Burns by Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel
3.0
By Night the Mountain Burns is a very intriguing narrative about life on a small Equatoguinean island. Told in a very word-of-mouth style, it weaves together so many different things that happen in life there, which can sometimes seem strange to the reader, but it is just another way of living life.
I enjoy Laurel's storytelling and I think this was a very eye-opening book, but at the end of the day I did struggle with the narrative style. It is revealed at the end, though clear throughout the book, that the book is actually an oral record and the narrator "has never written anything in his life." I do think that this style did work with the story Laurel set out to tell, but for me personally it left a bit of a disconnect. However, I enjoyed the tidbits and intriguing stories I got to learn and hear from in this book, as it transported me to a world I probably will not end up visiting in real life.
I enjoy Laurel's storytelling and I think this was a very eye-opening book, but at the end of the day I did struggle with the narrative style. It is revealed at the end, though clear throughout the book, that the book is actually an oral record and the narrator "has never written anything in his life." I do think that this style did work with the story Laurel set out to tell, but for me personally it left a bit of a disconnect. However, I enjoyed the tidbits and intriguing stories I got to learn and hear from in this book, as it transported me to a world I probably will not end up visiting in real life.