Het onwaarschijnlijke en droevige lot van Ivan en Ivana

by Maryse Condé, Martine Woudt (translator)

Ivan en Ivana zijn een tweeling, geboren in Guadeloupe. Hun hele leven hebben ze een uitzonderlijk sterke band, zo sterk zelfs dat ze bang worden voor hun eigen gevoelens. Het ‘onwaarschijnlijke en droevige lot’ leidt ze via Ségou in Mali naar Parijs, waar hun wegen zich scheiden. De aanvankelijk kleine verschillen tussen de tweeling leiden tot dramatisch verschillende keuzes in het leven. Ivana kiest er met haar jeugdige altruïsme en enthousiasme voor naar de politieacademie te gaan; Ivan, afgestompt door zijn ervaringen met afwijzing en uitbuiting, kiest het pad van radicalisering en terrorisme. Ivan en Ivana, de tweeling die niet zonder en niet met elkaar kan leven, worden daders en slachtoffers bij een golf van gewelddadige aanslagen. Maryse Condé raakt in haar nieuwste roman aan grote actuele thema’s: racisme, terrorisme, politieke corruptie, economische ongelijkheid, globalisatie en migratie. Waarmee de roman een indrukwekkend tijdsbeeld biedt van het leven in de 21ste eeuw.

Genres: Fiction, France, Mali, Africa, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, International

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2017

About the author

Maryse Condé was a Guadeloupean, French language author of historical fiction, best known for her novel Segu. Maryse Condé was born as Maryse Boucolon at Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, the youngest of eight children. In 1953, her parents sent her to study at Lycée Fénelon and Sorbonne in Paris, where she majored in English. In 1959, she married Mamadou Condé, an Guinean actor. After graduating, she taught in Guinea, Ghana, and Senegal. In 1981, she divorced, but the following year married Richard Philcox, English language translator of most of her novels.

Condé's novels explore racial, gender, and cultural issues in a variety of historical eras and locales, including the Salem witch trials in I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem and the 19th century Bambara Empire of Mali in Segu.

In addition to her writings, Condé had a distinguished academic career. In 2004 she retired from Columbia University as Professor Emeritus of French. She had previously taught at the University of California, Berkeley, UCLA, the Sorbonne, The University of Virginia, and the University of Nanterre.

In March 2007, Condé was the keynote speaker at Franklin College Switzerland's Caribbean Unbound III conference, in Lugano, Switzerland.

Reviews

[BookOfCinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan and Ivana was the first book I have read by Maryse Condé and I was not disappointed… what an epic read!

The book opens with the birth of twins Ivan and Ivana on the French Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe. Born into a single parent family to their mother Simone who adores them, they often heard about their father who is a famous musician who currently lives in Mali. Simone works hard to provide for her twins who are living in Guadeloupe under hard time. In their teenage and young adult life Ivan ends up being imprisoned at least twice in Guadeloupe. Ivana works hard and won a scholarship to attend a police academy in Paris. It is during that time that Simone finally gets word from their father who sent a plane ticket for Ivan and Ivana to come and live with him in Mali.
Once they arrive in Mali, Ivana and Ivan must now navigate an entirely foreign world, one where they live on a compound with a father, they do not have a relationship with. Ivana starts volunteering at an orphanage and Ivan joins the local military. They are not as close as they once was and with the compound watching, they try to not be as close as they were in Guadeloupe. It is during Ivan’s time in Mali he switches religion to Muslim and become somewhat radicalize. He goes on his first “mission” and was successful but at a major cost.

Upon leaving Mali the twins settle in Paris where Ivan works odd jobs to make ends meet. Ivana starts attending the police academy. The twin no longer has a lot in common but their attraction to each other remains. Ivan finds himself in the company of radicals and ends up going on a fatal mission.

The above is just a brief overview of the wondrous and tragic life of the twins. I am blown away by the writing in this book. I did not know what to expect of Maryse Conde’s writing but I was in for a great surprise and I loved every minute of it. I loved how Conde wove different characters into the fabric of this book. She does a great job of introducing characters, some who are central and others who are just passing through.

Conde tackles colorism, poverty, colonialism, racism, terrorism, incest, migration, immigration in contemporary Guadeloupe, Paris and Mali. You get a vibrant look into the life of these two characters and you feel for their impending demise. Overall, this was such a WELL done book. I finished it two days ago and I am STILLL thinking about it. It is not every day I pick up a book that explores a Caribbean Man road into terrorism.

WELL DONE. MUST READ!

[John Darnielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an utterly delightful book. That’s not to say it isn’t serious, that it isn’t riddled with death and difficulty, that it doesn’t raise any number of questions meriting sober reflection. It does all that. But it does so the same way a friend whose company you like might do it — over the course of an afternoon’s conversation, with the pleasure of the company foremost in mind. An utter treat.

[Abbie | ab_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

(#gifted @worldedbooks) The Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan & Ivana charts the life of the titular twins growing up in Guadeloupe, moving to Mali to reunite with their estranged father, and finally moving to Paris. They share an intense relationship, verging on incestuous at times which they both try to quell, but their paths diverge drastically as Ivan becomes drawn into the world of radicalisation. This was a frustrating read for me as I think the strong content was let down somewhat by the translation. Awkward because Condé's translator is also her husband... oops 😂 *please see 4th paragraph*
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But first of all, the good. Condé is keen to remind the reader that there is no distinct line between right and wrong. While Ivan walks the perilous line of radicalisation, she also critiques the 'liberal' west, personified by people who so often spout nonsense about not seeing race. She demonstrates with a keen eye how easy it is for disillusioned young people to become drawn into darker circles, as they are constantly let down by a system which is designed to fail them. Guadeloupe is, as Ivan regularly reminds us, 'not exactly a country, but a French overseas department, lacking a narrative of its own'.
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She paints an unsettling portrait of how France is viewed by some Guadeloupean, often as a place promising better opportunities (given the unemployment and poverty on the island) but once they arrive there, France has nothing for them except menial jobs. Which, as we see, can sometimes push young people onto the wrong path.
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I had some issues with the translation, but please check out the comment on my Instagram page from @lili_tartinette about the translation choices made. This is why I wish all translated books would include a translator’s note, to illuminate international readers about why certain linguistic decisions were made.
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Overall, powerful themes and bold characters, and I would still recommend if the plot sounds interesting to you, as Condé has a sharp eye for social commentary.

[Daily_debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tout d'abord c'est un roman de Maryse Condé, donc encore une fois, c'est sans surprise que j'ai adoré ma lecture. Je suis une vraie fan.❤

C'est tout simplement l'histoire de jumeaux, qui malgré des choix de vie totalement différents, auront un destin commun et tragique.

Rien de bien fou...(faux!)🙅🏾‍♀️

Le titre nous parle d'Ivan et Ivana mais le roman est énormément centré sur Ivan qui a une vie beaucoup plus passionnante (et triste) sa soeur.

Ivan fait tous les mauvais choix possibles et inimaginables, ils rencontrent les pires personnes sur terre et il lui arrive des aventures rocambolesques.

Bref Ivan à la poisse, mais ca permet également de voir à quel point la construction d'une personne est liée à ses expériences.

Et lorsque que toutes nos expériences sont négatives pouvons nous devenir une bonne personne ?🤔

Je pense qu'en lisant le titre la question est vite répondue 🤣 (oui je suis une personne avec beaucoup de référence culturelle mdr)

https://youtu.be/--vrZctQyXc

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ivan and Ivana are twins, born to a single mother in Guadeloupe. They are incredibly close growing up, at times in an incestuous manner. While close, as they are growing up, you see their paths start to diverge. Ivana is studious and wants to help others, Ivan struggles to fit in and find any identity other than to be the other half of Ivana. When their mother sends them to Mali to live with the father, the divide deepens and Ivan continues on a path to radicalization.

I appreciated the perspective I gained in reading this - most of what I have read that highlights the impact of colonialism and been from an English point of view. Seeing the impact of French colonialism was something I hadn't seen explored. I also found the way Conde structured his radicalization - at first small steps, moments where he feels he belongs, moments where he is angry that are capitalized on, moments where he is feels betrayed and that betrayal is manipulated - to be interesting.

I read this for a group read and am looking forward to the discussion - there was a lot in here to explore and I think having the opportunity to dig into a discussion will enhance the reading.

[Jherane Patmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note for future Jherane: This book is giving me ideas. 2021 is going to be lit.

[Annaelle Lafontant · Rating 4 out of 5]

hmmmmm what a book! personally i enjoyed it a lot and think i would have enjoyed it more if i read it over a shorter period of time but alas.
everything happened in this book! so much plot so much action so many characters. i enjoyed reading the story and seeing how it ended. i really liked how it was written as well, as if an observer was telling us the story from what they were able to make of the events. ahhh so good, so well written.
one thing i didn’t like was how little i felt like i knew Ivan and especially Ivana. they were our main characters but their psyche wasn’t really interrogated besides their obvious feelings for one another.
another thing i didn’t like was the fact that i don’t remember the entire plot. so much happened that it eventually became hard to follow.
conde also makes a lot of nods to leftist theory and leftist writers which i really appreciated. the anti-colonial nature of this book was beautiful, and i appreciated having a book to read that was based in the french caribbean.
overall great book, gets 4 stars bc i don’t remember a whole lot of it and i didn’t connect much w the protagonists.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had troubles with writing a review of this book, troubles with analysing it, as I haven't read anything like this before. I had to read many reviews, and I actually also bought an issue of a literature magazine dedicated to Condé solely in order to try to understand her and her writing. And after doing that, I think I finally understood what this book is about. I have come to understand that it is a critique of the West's obsession of seeking for the roots of jihadi radicalism, while at the same time ignoring their own part in creating the pull towards radicalisation. Condé provocatively pinpoints that the effects of colonialism, migration and exploitation lead to radicalisation, and it is all wrapped up in satire.

The book was really a roller-coaster, both in the story itself, and when it comes to my feelings towards it. Like I hated the beginning, hated the description of birth. I doubt babies can smell anything in the womb. But then I was really amused by the dark humour and sometimes absurd situations she invented. I got intrigued by her writhing style, the way Condé could describe some awful event just in passing in a single sentence but then describe something quite minor in detail. I was fascinated by how the storyline just races everywhere, covering so many topics, but felt questioning and uneasy by the way people were depicted. Many times I questioned what the meaning of this subplot could be.

I felt that this book was way, way too difficult for me and that I really would have needed to participate in some kind of book club discussion or seminar in order to penetrate it and understand what I have actually read. For instance, in one of the reviews I read, the reviewer saw "the twins as representative of France and Guadeloupe themselves". (https://leyendolatam.com/review-the-w...) Such "details" I could have never discovered or realised on my own, but it made me see the book differently and appreciate the genius behind it more. That Condé’s writing style was inspired by oral traditions is another fact that I could not have understood by myself, but that made me realize why I perceived the book so different, and in retrospect agreeing with this as I have read some written down accounts of oral traditions before; I, see it ... now.

In the end, I couldn't agree more with leyendolatam (linked above) who wrote that "ultimately, this was a book that left me feeling both charmed and foolish in equal measure, mostly because I was only able to appreciate the mastery of Condé on reflection rather than in real time."

[Isobel Blackthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set mostly in Guadeloupe and Mali, The Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan and Ivanna is a captivating post-colonial tale of violence and sibling love.

From the moment twins Ivan and Ivanna exit their mother’s womb, the reader is drawn into a rollercoaster of events heading down a fateful and eventually fatal chute. The Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan and Ivanna is mainly a picaresque adventure of Ivan and the ne’er-do-wells he meets, who inch by inch lead him to adopt radical views. While Ivanna excels at school, Ivan is in and out of prison. He is a misfit, an outsider estranged from normal life, his saving grace his reverent love for his sister. It is a love reciprocated, a love deep and pure, yet a love that teeters on the edge of taboo.

There is a delightful biting wit and a highly focussed characterisation driving the narrative, holding the reader in thrall. The story jumps back and forth in time and from here to there in short sharp bursts. Ivan and Ivanna are on different paths, the dark and the light, yet inextricably bound together. Through the lens of her characters and her story, Condé provides an impressive account of the complexities found in her own homeland, the volcanic Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, with its poverty and inequality, the result of a French colonial legacy that continues to this day. It is on Guadeloupe that the twins’ mother Simone ekes out a living. And it is here that Simone’s clairvoyant mother Maeva presages doom through her recurrent dream of the twins lying in a pool of blood.

One third in and the story moves to Mali, the homeland of the father who throughout the twins’ childhood took no interest in their lives. It is only when, in a fit of desperation, Simone begs for Lansana’s help, that he steps up to his responsibilities. Mali is a nation riven by civil war and jihadist militias, a reality Ivan must face and find his way in. Yet it is a country of exquisite landscapes and rich music, aspects appreciated by Ivana. Condé presents a colourful and realistic portrait of life in the compounds of Kidal, a large town in the desert region of northern Mali, and it is clear the author writes from first-hand knowledge.

The story culminates in Paris where Ivan’s fundamentalism deepens and leads him straight into tragedy. To write more about this would spoil the story which is a literary tour de force that draws on the author’s personal sense of place. The result is richly evocative and disturbing, the reader left educated as much as entertained. Here is travel fiction of a rare and special kind.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan and Ivana" is the story of fraternal twins born on the island of Guadeloupe to a single mother. Their father, a famous musician in Mali, looms larger than life, over their childhood as their mother has imparted that if their father had just stayed that Ivan and Ivana would have had a much better life. The twins are closer than close (this is reiterated often throughout the book). They will travel from their island home to their father's homeland of Mali to Paris. This book is explores what happens when a seemingly unbreakable bond is broken by terrible events.

The highlight of the book for me was all of the detail about the various locations throughout the book. Guadeloupe and Mali were new-to-me locations in terms of reading about them. I really liked how the author brought both of these to life for me. You can feel the breeze in Guadeloupe and see the stores and restaurants in Mali. You get a good sense of how Ivan and Ivana see Paris. The places almost become characters in the book, which I really liked.

The relationship between Ivan and Ivana is so incredibly close, particularly with regard to how Ivan sees Ivana. Parts of this were definitely out of my comfort zone but I think the idea was to just show a general closeness or essentially one being in two bodies. In particular, Ivan's romantic ideas about his sister are reiterated over again throughout the book (perhaps to exhaustion). The repetitive nature did take something away from the story, however, the closeness sets the scene for just how devastating the later events of the book are.

What kept me reading is the good writing and pacing. While the subject matter was uncomfortable, Conde's details kept the book flowing.

[Miesha Wilson Headen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved smart and sexy French literature since my high school reading of Maupassant in French. Maryse Conde exemplifies the French form adding layers with her perspective as a native of Martinique, called a department of France in the Caribbean. The “Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan and Ivana” takes up many themes – classism in Martinique, the clash between traditional and radical Islam in Africa, and the immigration of Black Africans to France. The theme that I most intrigued me was the disparity between white classical thought and the Black cannon. In other words, what do we consider essential reading for the cornerstone of intellectual thought?

As the main characters, Ivan and Ivana, migrate through the French colonial world. They are confronted by the French cannon which Conde calls the “the effluvium of civilization.” Ivana embraces the cannon while Ivan falls victim to it. The author litters the book with references to Victor Hugo, Rimbaud, Balzac, and Flaubert culminating in entrance examinations, such as the baccalaureate. Conde challenges the French by referencing the intellectual cannon of the African diaspora, such as Aime Cesaire, Franz Fannon, and veiled allusions to Malcolm X. She holds these intellectuals in equal esteem thereby questioning the intellectual depth of the dominant French culture. Her treatment of the value of intellectual thought was fresh and subversive.

Besides its intellectual heft, the novel was a thrilling page turner in the mold of “A Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. This novel will also interest people who adored the Senegalese movie “Atlantics” which contemplates the fate of African men who migrate to Europe for work and its impact on the women left behind.

[Anja Sebunya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I've read anything quite like this, completely innovative writing, the reader is guided through the story without being told what to think. The narrative unfolds objectively, shining light on every corner of the francophone African diaspora, on every nook and cranny of contradiction, political conviction all the while overturning any kind of preconception. It's quite clear from the beginning that this is Greek tragedy of the worst kind, with protagonists unable to side step their destiny, and yet it shines with the promise of humanity that is so universal.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful and unique.

[David Troch · Rating 5 out of 5]

We volgen tweeling Ivan en Ivana van bij hun geboorte in Guadeloupe, naar hun tijd in Mali en hun verblijf in Frankrijk. Ook België wordt een paar keer genoemd, tot Ivan er daadwerkelijk naartoe trekt. Wat een passage!

Vanwege de geestesgesteldheid waarin Ivan zich bevond, leek deze missie naar België hem een plezierig avontuur. Twee dagen later reed hij met een gevoel van bevrijding de snelweg op. De zorgen en angsten met betrekking tot zijn zus liet hij achter zich, en hij had het gevoel weer op te leven. De zon, die al op was, lachte hem vanuit het midden van de hemel uitnodigend toe. Zijn bloed begon weer in zijn aderen te stromen, levendig en warm. Hij reed urenlang en stopte bij een pompstation langs de snelweg om wat te eten. Met lawaaiige jazzmuziek op de achtergrond zaten de andere bezoekers patat te eten en glazen bier te legen dat Mort Subite heette, een naam die hij eerst schitterend vond en die hem daarna aan het denken zette. Mort Subite, onmiddellijke dood. Was dat niet waar de jihadisten op uit waren?

[armin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a marvelous reading and I loved it. I am teaching it in a World Lit class which I am centering on the Black Atlantic where most of the texts are about migration and cultural differences that people have had to navigate throughout history and this is a very good fit. It ties the issue of color between France and its Overseas Territories into the other issue of color within France with its former colonies, islamic radicalization within France, terrorism, and also the French military intervention in its former colonies.
It also does a great job at portraying the experiences of Overseas citizens when confronting France itself; independence or sticking with France is also covered in the text.
I am not gonna get into the story line of this book for the review. It's a story around twins! That's all I am going to say!

[Rebecca H.]

Here is a new novel by the winner of the 2018 New Academy Prize, also known as the Alternative Nobel. It tells the story of twins born and raised in Guadeloupe. They have an extremely close bond and struggle with their feelings for each other. Ivana is content to live peacefully and accept the world around her, while Ivan struggles to find a community where he feels he belongs. Eventually they travel to Mali to live with their father and then make their way to Paris. Ivan and Ivana’s differing personalities send them down divergent paths, but their bond never wavers, even as it threatens to destroy them. Told by a charming, lively third-person narrator, the novel evokes its various settings beautifully and takes a penetrating, wide-ranging look at the effects of racism, colonialism, and inequality.

[Fran Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Beatrix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het leven van Ivan en Ivana begint in een nietszeggend dorpje in Guadeloupe. Al snel na de geboorte wordt duidelijk dat deze symbiotische relatie zo intens en uitzonderlijk is, dat er geen andere liefde tussen kan komen. Dit illustreert Condé aan de hand van de talloze avonturen die Ivan en Ivana beleven in hun gang naar volwassenheid. Ivana heeft een sterk moreel kompas en weet zich redelijk makkelijk aan de wisselende omstandigheden te conformeren. Ivan is daarentegen een stuk onstuimiger en laat zich leiden door gevoelens van frustratie en onrecht, waardoor hij zich uiteindelijk aansluit bij een terroristische groepering. In de zoektocht naar hun eigen identiteit worstelt de tweeling met gevoelens van verboden liefde en seksueel verlangen en drijft de radicalisering van Ivan hun steeds verder uit elkaar.

"Het is ook bekend dat je, om gelukkig te zijn op deze aarde, een flinke dosis blindheid nodig hebt."

Condé heeft speelse, bijna lichtvoetige manier van schrijven, waarmee haar knipogen en binnenpretjes een welkom contrast bieden aan de onuitputtelijke stroom van alle onwaarschijnlijke en droevige gebeurtenissen die de revue passeren. Toch wist het boek me niet helemaal in zijn greep te houden. Het las voor mij eerder als een politieke aanklacht tegen kolonisatie en radicalisering met naar mijn smaak iets te veel 'tell' en te weinig 'show', wat maakte dat ik me nooit helemaal met de personages verbonden voelde. Deze leken vooral geschapen te zijn om de onderliggende boodschap over te kunnen brengen. Een pittige, belangrijke en indringende boodschap, dat wel.

[Amber Coulson · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.*

One thing I appreciate in a book is when it delivers what it says it will. The title of this book sums up the book in one succinct line. This is a book with a weird plot, but great characters. I think it’s always difficult to develop such complex characters who have such a close relationship and to see how their beliefs can differ and lead them on totally different paths. Even though the twins in this novel are fraternal, the divergence of paths reminds me of the twins in The Vanishing Half and how those sisters and their beliefs about their skin color, one hated it, and the other used it as her ticket up and out, led them down totally different roads that would almost never have intentionally crossed again.

All in all, I’d say this is a good installment. Not great because I think there are some issues plot wise but it was an enjoyable read.

[Biblibio · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's an extra star for the technical achievements and undeniable writing talents, and I really don't want to take away from that. But I deeply, deeply disliked this novel from a lot of perspectives, ranging from the things it did well but annoyed me (yes, I have preferences, sorry) to the things it wanted to do but did poorly... I imagine that many other readers will feel much more in line with traditional reviewers (who admired the book more than me) so don't take this as a real review and maybe someday I'll be able to write out a more intelligent critical piece about what I disliked, but for now: Nope. Much preferred other books by Condé...

[Amy May · Rating 1 out of 5]

Am I missing something here? Confusing connections, terrorism, incest yet still bored with story line and character development ?! Not sure what everyone else is seeing in this. Praise for writing? Switch of tone and perspective, the attack on the reader is unrelentless... take a breath.

[André · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review :
Maryse Condé (Pointe-à-Pitre op Guadeloupe, 11 februari 1937) is een Frans schrijfster, afkomstig uit het Caraïbische Guadeloupe.
In 1953 ging ze naar Parijs om vergelijkende literatuurwetenschap te studeren aan de Sorbonne. Ze studeerde af met een proefschrift over de stereotypering van zwarten in de West-Indische literatuur.
Ze werkte in diverse West-Afrikaanse landen als lerares en op spraakinstituten, onder meer in Guinea, Ghana en Senegal. In Mali deed ze inspiratie op voor haar wereldwijde bestseller Segou; de aarden wallen uit 1984, in 1985 gevolgd door Segou; de verkruimelde aarde, waarvoor ze in 1988 de Duitse LiBeraturpreis kreeg. Het Segou-epos beschrijft de geschiedenis van de ondergang van het Bambara Rijk in het huidige Mali in de negentiende eeuw en koppelt dit aan de tragedie van de individuele mens.
Vanaf 1980 doceerde Condé op verschillende West-Europese universiteiten (waaronder de Sorbonne) Afrikaanse Literatuur, en van 1985 tot 2004 doceerde ze vervolgens Frans-Afrikaanse literatuur aan de Columbia-universiteit te New York.
Condé staat bekend als een sterk pleitbezorgster van het Panafrikanisme.
In 2018 won ze de eerste alternatieve Nobelprijs voor de Literatuur (New Academy Prize in Literature).

Ze schreef ongeveer twintig romans, autobiografische verhalen, essays en artikelen over de politiek, taal, het Caribisch gebied en de Franse geschiedenis. Haar nieuwste roman is Het onwaarschijnlijke en droevige lot van Ivan en Ivana, waarin radicalisme op alle fronten een belangrijke rol speelt.
Ivan en Ivana zijn een tweeling, geboren in Guadeloupe. Hun hele leven hebben ze een uitzonderlijk sterke band, zo sterk zelfs dat ze bang worden voor hun eigen gevoelens. Het "onwaarschijnlijke en droevige lot' leidt ze via Ségou in Mali naar Parijs, waar hun wegen zich scheiden.
Ze worden opgevoed door hun moeder en oma, omdat de vader, een muzikant en dichter naar Mali ging voordat ze geboren werden. wanneer zij tieners worden, komen zij in Mali, in de familie van hun vader. Ze komen In contact met de jongeren en de minder jongeren die geradicaliseerd zijn. Ook Ivan wordt radicaal en bekeert zich tot de islam.
De aanvankelijk kleine verschillen tussen de tweeling leiden tot dramatisch verschillende keuzes in het leven. Ivana kiest er met haar jeugdige altruïsme en enthousiasme voor naar de politieacademie te gaan; Ivan, afgestompt door zijn ervaringen met afwijzing en uitbuiting, kiest het pad van radicalisering en terrorisme.
Ivan en Ivana, de tweeling die niet zonder en niet met elkaar kan leven, worden daders en slachtoffers bij een golf van gewelddadige aanslagen.
Maryse Condé raakt in haar nieuwste roman aan grote actuele thema's: racisme, terrorisme, politieke corruptie, economische ongelijkheid, globalisatie en migratie. Waarmee de roman een indrukwekkend tijdsbeeld biedt van het leven in de 21ste eeuw.

[Andreea Benu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivan and Ivana are the theoretical representation of two types of behavior with regard to colonization. Ivan is strong-willed with little interest in school, and Ivana has a beautiful voice and loves learning. As Ivan grows, he experiences humiliations and arrests; he is influenced by criminal adventures and the teachings of Islam. While Condé addresses very contemporary issues in her novel such racism, jihadi terrorism, political corruption and violence we also learn about love, happiness, calamity, and at last, the survival of hope. What I liked about the story is that it unfolds in a deceptively relaxed manner; incidents happen with the abrupt stillness of a fairytale and yet we’re reminded that ‘unfortunately, colonisation destroys everything in its path’. The intense bond and desire between Ivan and Ivana is too difficult for either of them to break, even as they move from Guadeloupe to Mali to Paris in search of economic opportunities. My favourite quote: “I’ll grab a pillow of clouds that I’ll put under your heads and I’ll fill them with dreams.” - Simone Némélé, the mother of the twins

[Jillaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read by Maryse Conde and she did not disappoint. Something about her writing style just keeps drawing you closer and closer to the characters and before you know it you are vested in their journey. Maryse’s blunt humour, simple ironies and purity in her writing was much like her book Segu. However, the story of Ivan and Ivana I felt told a story that was so much deeper as it did well to pick up from where Segu ended. The search for purpose, acceptance and ones identity continued but in the form of showing that Ivan and Ivana couldn’t figure out what their love for each other meant and they didn’t know what to do with the bond they shared. It explains the effects of the scars left behind by their ancestors which impacted their own journeys. Maryse had me gasping for air with so many “say whatt” moments. This story was soo full of hope yet heartbreaking. It told the tale of two people who the world just never allowed be loved without the labels, and who didn’t know how to love without each other. A story well told.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is brilliant. Ms. Conde has drawn her characters and various locations from a point of view that is sympathetic to her characters while ensuring that the reader will need to examine themselves. Set in Guadalupe, Mali and Paris, we experience, along with the twins in the title, the intricacies of these very distinct societies. Ivan and Ivana are extraordinarily close growing up and into young adulthood. At a certain point their lives took very different trajectories. Why? Not easy to answer. A question posed in the book is "What is the truth? We have the truth spoken by the plaintiff, and the truth spoken by the witnesses and we have to navigate and find a compromise between all their statements." Point of view is paramount and Ms. Conde drives this home with a very compelling, timely story. My point of view in the future will be a bit more broad (I hope) after reading this work. Brava.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pas mal du tout. À la base ce roman est ce que je aime: une histoire. Un relais de faits. Il y a peu, de nos jours, un narrateur qui raconte l histoire de quelqu’un d’autre. C est devenu assez original. La vrai note est un 3.5 mais j aronde vers le haut car l auteur le mérite.
J ai aimé la succession de faits et d aventure de l’ histoire intéressante Ivan. C est un presque un page Turner. Presque. J ai donné 4 étoiles aussi car l amour fraternel (bien que celui ci soit à la a limite du dérangent car incestueux) n est franchement pas l’aborder du jour. J ai trouvé cela original. J ai beaucoup aimé l’aspect de l émigration. Le côté dur pour Ivan et l aspect de la bonne adaptation par Ivana. Il y a quelque chose qui fait que cela ne s’y pas un chef d’œuvre. Pas sûr de quoi. En conclusion, un bon roman à lire.

[2TReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conde has a way of weaving drama right alongside her story of love, identity, and the social inequities that arise for her characters.

Isn’t life surprising? It has a sense of humor which doesn’t make everyone laugh. -the Narrator

Condé renders the lives and loves of Ivan and Ivana quite unapologetically. With prose that is as vivid as it is sharp, the story of forbidden desire and love, experiences, and misfortunes of our main characters took flight across the pages. Always the brink is teased, but you must read on to see if we ever take the plunge.

From Dos d'Âne to Kidal to Villeret-le-François, Condé ensures her readers are grounded in the evolution of the paths that Ivan and Ivana take, even with erotic topics that are sure to make some readers squirm and others giddy.

There is a certain naivety that follows both siblings, but we see more on the part of Ivan as most the book tells of the various dangerous situations that he is pulled into. The twins are shown as having very little knowledge of the societal structure that kept their family in poverty and their journeys to Mali and Paris hardly ever seemed to open their eyes.

I do wish more time had been spent with and on Ivana, showing how she was growing in her experiences and situations as she did seem to be progressing well in whatever she put her mind to. But this was very much Ivan's story and boy does Condé tell it.

I quite enjoyed the quips and side conversations that the narrator would have with the reader as this interjected a sense of friendly tête à tête and humour that lightened for the reader what was at times quite heavy and tense topics.

I will end with my recurring thoughts on Ivan: him cyah ketch di rake, so him cyah ketch a break. IYKYK.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

My entry for the country of Guadaloupe, the story covers of good deal of recent history. The main characters grow up in Guadaloupe with their mother and go to their father's home in Mali, and later to France. Ivana and Ivan seem more like symbols than fully developed characters. Ivana is the girl who gets along with others and does well in school. Ivan is the trouble maker and stays on the margins goes to jail, gets drawn into crime and terrorism. Their lives are bound together yet separate. Their love is incestuous and destructive. Do they symbolize humanity? There is a lot packed into this novel of wealth disparities, post colonialism, racism, immigration, corruption. It's all here.

[Reed Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this book. While I enjoyed some of the writing and story, I was put off by the incest between the twins and the sexual abuse. This is a really odd book: why would anyone give up the opportunity to pursue a career in Paris and instead go to a town in Mali that is in the midst of a civil conflict? I appreciate some of themes and creativity (hence the three stars) but this book was bizarre and disturbing. If you don’t mind reading about sexual desire between female and male twins and a sexual abuser who enjoys having relations with minors, then go for it. That being said, I might read another book by this author.

[Flavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m giving this 4 stars for the writing itself, but I’m actually DNFing this book quite early on — I just can’t stomach the nonstop incesty asides. I know the book description strongly hints at that, but I was really hoping it would be .... not like this. Anyway, it’s not a criticism, Condé’s writing is great (although the translation felt pretty flat, and I got more out of it only by guessing what the exact wording in French probably was — I haven’t read the original, but I would recommend anyone who can to try that first), it’s just very much not for me.