Ondjaki was born in Angola, in 1977. This is something I could choose not to tell you because if you were to read this book, you would figure that out by yourself.
He is a brilliant author who has published a long list of books and who has won many different awards. But in my opinion, what makes him one of the best writers alive today is how he manages to capture the entire essence of what he chooses to write about.
As I see it, this book is an anthem to childhood, friendship, family, the discovery of life and all the emotions that come with it. And because of that, this book helps us relativize the minor difficulties of life and reminds us of a time in our own lives when it was easier to just relax and be happy. Another compelling aspect of this book is that we can see how this boy’s life is entangled with his country’s political and historical turning-points.
The book itself is organized in short stories, which one a different memory of our main character. And just like most childhood memories, these short stories come with smell, sound, flavour, … And this explosion of senses transports us into the life of the young boy we are following.
I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I’ll, without a doubt, be looking for other books by Ondjaki.
Bye, keep on reading.
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