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Afrika-trilogien #1
Eksil
Femtenårige Samantha gør alt det forkerte, først og fremmest fordi hun ikke vil gøre det rigtige, alt det, der forventes af hende.Hun synes ikke, hun passer ind nogen steder. Hun er engelsk og hvid udenpå, men taler swahili og har boet i Tanzania, siden hun var tre.Hun er ved at blive voksen, hun har en voldsom appetit på livet, hun har akut brug for holdepunkter i tilværelsen, ikke mindst for, at nogen holder af hende; men skolen keder hende, forældrene og lærerne er umulige, hendes jævnaldrende venner nogle tøser og drengerøve.Hun kan ikke styre sig, hun lægger sig ud med alle. Hun bringer sig selv i fare og i umulige situationer, alkohol og stoffer fylder mere og mere i hendes liv, hun bliver sin egen værste fjende.Det kan ikke blive ved med at gå.
283 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
68 people are currently reading
1337 people want to read
About the author
Jakob Ejersbo
11 books68 followersJakob Ejersbo is a writer who died young. He succumbed to cancer at 40, having published a volume of short stories and a novel, Nordkraft, which won the 2003 Golden Laurel Prize. But more importantly, it was hailed by critics and readers alike as a great new Danish novel, ushering in a new type of fiction that would draw a line under the minimalism and symbolism that had prevailed in Danish literature during the late 1990s.
A gritty, realistic tale about disaffected youth in Aalborg, Denmark’s fourth largest city, it captured the Danes’ imaginations, holding a mirror to their society and rendering them as they saw themselves.
It was the last book Ejersbo would live to publish. He died in July 2008, just 10 months after being diagnosed with cancer. Throughout his illness, Ejersbo strove to complete his latest project, an ambitious trilogy about the relationship between the West and the Third World. Shortly after his death, his publisher, Johannes Riis, literary director at Gyldendal, revealed that he had left behind a manuscript and that it was virtually finished.
At a cumulative 1,600 pages, Ejersbo’s trilogy is a formidable work, and when the first part, Eksil, was released in Denmark in summer 2009 it caused just as much of stir as did Nordkraft. The literary critic Klaus Rothstein wrote in the Danish Literary Magazine that ‘seldom has anyone written anything so insistent and impassioned, so glowing hot and ice-cold, so heartfelt and so cynical’.
The trilogy is primarily set in Eastern Africa and explores the relationships between European ex-pats and the Tanzanians they live amongst. Ejersbo was not a writer for whom easy solutions and happy endings held any interested, and there are none to be found in these bleak but impeccably observed books. The trilogy is also formally inventive: two novels, Exile and Liberty sandwich a collection of stories that returns to the characters introduced in the first part.
In October 2011, MacLehose Press will be publishing Exile in English, translated by Mette Petersen. It is primarily the story of Samantha, the daughter of neglectful, abusive English parents, who takes solace in sex, drugs and lies but cannot control her destiny once the wheel of catastrophe has begun to turn. Revolution will follow in 2012 and Liberty in 2013. I’ll let Klaus Rothstein have the last word, except to say that we haven’t been as excited about a Scandinavian trilogy since Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy:
"Jakob Ejersbo was a deliberate and original writer, who was not only able to maintain an artistic overview of the antipoetry of existence but was also capable of describing it in finely narrated and captivating language. Exile is an electrifying novel, and its final chapter – which gives the novel its name – shocks the reader as a shattering highpoint of modern Danish literature."
Klaus Rothstein, Danish Literary Magazine
A gritty, realistic tale about disaffected youth in Aalborg, Denmark’s fourth largest city, it captured the Danes’ imaginations, holding a mirror to their society and rendering them as they saw themselves.
It was the last book Ejersbo would live to publish. He died in July 2008, just 10 months after being diagnosed with cancer. Throughout his illness, Ejersbo strove to complete his latest project, an ambitious trilogy about the relationship between the West and the Third World. Shortly after his death, his publisher, Johannes Riis, literary director at Gyldendal, revealed that he had left behind a manuscript and that it was virtually finished.
At a cumulative 1,600 pages, Ejersbo’s trilogy is a formidable work, and when the first part, Eksil, was released in Denmark in summer 2009 it caused just as much of stir as did Nordkraft. The literary critic Klaus Rothstein wrote in the Danish Literary Magazine that ‘seldom has anyone written anything so insistent and impassioned, so glowing hot and ice-cold, so heartfelt and so cynical’.
The trilogy is primarily set in Eastern Africa and explores the relationships between European ex-pats and the Tanzanians they live amongst. Ejersbo was not a writer for whom easy solutions and happy endings held any interested, and there are none to be found in these bleak but impeccably observed books. The trilogy is also formally inventive: two novels, Exile and Liberty sandwich a collection of stories that returns to the characters introduced in the first part.
In October 2011, MacLehose Press will be publishing Exile in English, translated by Mette Petersen. It is primarily the story of Samantha, the daughter of neglectful, abusive English parents, who takes solace in sex, drugs and lies but cannot control her destiny once the wheel of catastrophe has begun to turn. Revolution will follow in 2012 and Liberty in 2013. I’ll let Klaus Rothstein have the last word, except to say that we haven’t been as excited about a Scandinavian trilogy since Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy:
"Jakob Ejersbo was a deliberate and original writer, who was not only able to maintain an artistic overview of the antipoetry of existence but was also capable of describing it in finely narrated and captivating language. Exile is an electrifying novel, and its final chapter – which gives the novel its name – shocks the reader as a shattering highpoint of modern Danish literature."
Klaus Rothstein, Danish Literary Magazine
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August 11, 2021
Aziz has brought a bag of goodies with him. We smoke some of his bhangi and I start to feel pleasantly high. He puts his hand on my knee.
"No," I say. He looks a bit sad but takes his hand away again. I go to the bathroom and powder my nose. When I come back to our table, one of the waiters is standing there.
"Call for you, miss," he says. "In the office. This way."
I follow him to the back room. There's a desk with a VCR. He presses the play button.
"I leave you here, miss," he says, and he closes the door. What the fuck is going on? Where is my call? But now there's some old guy on the screen. Long, untidy hair, English accent.
"Hello, Samantha," he says. "I'm Manny. Can you hear me?"
"Yeah," I say, before I've had time to think about it.
"Great," he says. "I'm calling from the future. 2021."
Aziz always has good bhangi but this is impressive. I must ask him where it's from.
"So what can I do for you, Manny?" I say.
"I've been reading about you in a Danish novel," says Manny. "I'm guessing someone you know is going to write it later. Any idea who the author is?"
I think about the Danish kids at school. "Christian?" I say. "Or Svein? Could be one of the glue-sniffers. But I don't see any of them writing a book."
"You seem to have made a real impression on him," says Manny. "I understand he spent a long time planning it."
It must be Christian.
"What's the book about?" I say.
"Well," says Manny, "that's not such an easy question. I guess the obvious answer is that it's about you. The day to day life of a bored white teenage girl in 1980s Tanzania who does too much alcohol and drugs and sex."
"You've been reading about all the stuff I do?" I say.
"All of it," says Manny. "The author leaves nothing out. You know, you're just exactly the way I imagined."
He can't take his eyes off me. So, nothing new. I lean forward a bit.
"But what's the point of the book?" I say. They always ask you that in Eng Lit.
"I'm not sure," says Manny. "Maybe you're a metaphor. For, I don't know, Western civilization or something. You're aware that your life is completely self-destructive, but you can't stop. It feels cool and fun to get wasted every night and pick pointless fights and say sassy things to your teachers that get you into trouble and sexually provoke every man you meet just to see what happens. And not think about your future. Because, really, you don't believe you have a future. Well, isn't that what Western civilization is doing too? I mean—"
I lift up my T-shirt and he stops in the middle of a sentence. "Fuck you," I say, and I hit the off button.
"Who was that?" asks Aziz when I get back.
"Just some old guy who wanted to look at my tits," I say. "Give me some more bhangi."
"No," I say. He looks a bit sad but takes his hand away again. I go to the bathroom and powder my nose. When I come back to our table, one of the waiters is standing there.
"Call for you, miss," he says. "In the office. This way."
I follow him to the back room. There's a desk with a VCR. He presses the play button.
"I leave you here, miss," he says, and he closes the door. What the fuck is going on? Where is my call? But now there's some old guy on the screen. Long, untidy hair, English accent.
"Hello, Samantha," he says. "I'm Manny. Can you hear me?"
"Yeah," I say, before I've had time to think about it.
"Great," he says. "I'm calling from the future. 2021."
Aziz always has good bhangi but this is impressive. I must ask him where it's from.
"So what can I do for you, Manny?" I say.
"I've been reading about you in a Danish novel," says Manny. "I'm guessing someone you know is going to write it later. Any idea who the author is?"
I think about the Danish kids at school. "Christian?" I say. "Or Svein? Could be one of the glue-sniffers. But I don't see any of them writing a book."
"You seem to have made a real impression on him," says Manny. "I understand he spent a long time planning it."
It must be Christian.
"What's the book about?" I say.
"Well," says Manny, "that's not such an easy question. I guess the obvious answer is that it's about you. The day to day life of a bored white teenage girl in 1980s Tanzania who does too much alcohol and drugs and sex."
"You've been reading about all the stuff I do?" I say.
"All of it," says Manny. "The author leaves nothing out. You know, you're just exactly the way I imagined."
He can't take his eyes off me. So, nothing new. I lean forward a bit.
"But what's the point of the book?" I say. They always ask you that in Eng Lit.
"I'm not sure," says Manny. "Maybe you're a metaphor. For, I don't know, Western civilization or something. You're aware that your life is completely self-destructive, but you can't stop. It feels cool and fun to get wasted every night and pick pointless fights and say sassy things to your teachers that get you into trouble and sexually provoke every man you meet just to see what happens. And not think about your future. Because, really, you don't believe you have a future. Well, isn't that what Western civilization is doing too? I mean—"
I lift up my T-shirt and he stops in the middle of a sentence. "Fuck you," I say, and I hit the off button.
"Who was that?" asks Aziz when I get back.
"Just some old guy who wanted to look at my tits," I say. "Give me some more bhangi."
not-to-read
November 5, 2021Not's copy of the English edition has just arrived. I have been given a stern warning that I am not allowed to make any comments at all about the quality of the translation. In fact, I'm not even allowed to open it, on pain of... well, I'm not quite sure what, but I'm informed that it will be painful.
I am tentatively calling this the QualityLand Effect. Can any other snotty multilinguals with monolingual partners reproduce my findings?
I am tentatively calling this the QualityLand Effect. Can any other snotty multilinguals with monolingual partners reproduce my findings?
September 29, 2017
Trigger warnings: rape, attempted rape, abortion, drug abuse, animal cruelty, racism, alcohol abuse, violence, slut shaming, domestic violence.
When I saw this book at my local library last weekend, I was instantly intrigued. I mean, a story about ex-pat brats growing up in Tanzania that's been translated from Danish? It ticked a lot of boxes for me. And I will say this - it's incredibly readable. The chapters are short - often no more than one or two pages - and so I found myself saying "Just one more chapter, just one more chapter" over and over again.
But. That was pretty much the only thing I liked about this book.
It's set in Tanzania during the 1980s, and the protagonist is a 15 year old girl named Samantha (by the end of the book, she's 18). She's at boarding school in Tanzania, and desperately doesn't want to be there. Her parents want to send her to England, but having been in Tanzania from the age of three, she feels like she doesn't belong in England, like she doesn't know how to relate to people there.
But Samantha is...a truly horrible character. She does whatever she likes with no thought for the consequences. She drinks and smokes and lies and takes drugs and gets in fights and has sex with her father's mid-30s business partner (*gags repeatedly*).
Samantha and all her friends are very much products of their upbringing. Their fathers run hotels or run guns or produce drugs or are diplomats. Their mothers are either back in Europe or spend their lives getting drunk because there's nothing else for them to do. They're packed off to boarding school at the earliest opportunity, to spend time around more kids who are exactly like them, kids who come out of school feeling like they don't belong in Europe but who don't have the skills to do anything useful in Africa.
So I get what the author was trying to do. And it's pretty accurate a lot of the time - most of my childhood was spent overseas, my parents were ex-pats for years before I was born, and the majority of their friends are former ex-pats too. And their friends' kids, the ones who were sent off to boarding school? Yeah, they were APPALLING teenagers. The boarding school I went to in England had a lot of kids whose parents worked in Hong Kong or Turkey or Africa. And those kids were packed off to boarding school at the age of six to cry themselves to sleep every night.
So yeah. It's an accurate representation of life as an ex-pat brat. But Sam undergoes almost no character development during the course of the story. She's unlikeable at the start, she's unlikeable at the end. And there were a lot of moments where I was like "Um, this is very definitely a 15 year old girl as written by a dude because yikes". I will say that I didn't see the ending coming, and it was definitely surprising.
But on the whole, this book was...firmly in Yikesville, heading towards WTF Town.
When I saw this book at my local library last weekend, I was instantly intrigued. I mean, a story about ex-pat brats growing up in Tanzania that's been translated from Danish? It ticked a lot of boxes for me. And I will say this - it's incredibly readable. The chapters are short - often no more than one or two pages - and so I found myself saying "Just one more chapter, just one more chapter" over and over again.
But. That was pretty much the only thing I liked about this book.
It's set in Tanzania during the 1980s, and the protagonist is a 15 year old girl named Samantha (by the end of the book, she's 18). She's at boarding school in Tanzania, and desperately doesn't want to be there. Her parents want to send her to England, but having been in Tanzania from the age of three, she feels like she doesn't belong in England, like she doesn't know how to relate to people there.
But Samantha is...a truly horrible character. She does whatever she likes with no thought for the consequences. She drinks and smokes and lies and takes drugs and gets in fights and has sex with her father's mid-30s business partner (*gags repeatedly*).
Samantha and all her friends are very much products of their upbringing. Their fathers run hotels or run guns or produce drugs or are diplomats. Their mothers are either back in Europe or spend their lives getting drunk because there's nothing else for them to do. They're packed off to boarding school at the earliest opportunity, to spend time around more kids who are exactly like them, kids who come out of school feeling like they don't belong in Europe but who don't have the skills to do anything useful in Africa.
So I get what the author was trying to do. And it's pretty accurate a lot of the time - most of my childhood was spent overseas, my parents were ex-pats for years before I was born, and the majority of their friends are former ex-pats too. And their friends' kids, the ones who were sent off to boarding school? Yeah, they were APPALLING teenagers. The boarding school I went to in England had a lot of kids whose parents worked in Hong Kong or Turkey or Africa. And those kids were packed off to boarding school at the age of six to cry themselves to sleep every night.
So yeah. It's an accurate representation of life as an ex-pat brat. But Sam undergoes almost no character development during the course of the story. She's unlikeable at the start, she's unlikeable at the end. And there were a lot of moments where I was like "Um, this is very definitely a 15 year old girl as written by a dude because yikes". I will say that I didn't see the ending coming, and it was definitely surprising.
But on the whole, this book was...firmly in Yikesville, heading towards WTF Town.
May 12, 2017
Finished December 12, 2015.
Finished September 9, 2009.
Jacob Ejersbo is a Danish writer who unfortunately died last year only 40 years old, leaving behind three manuscripts, Eksil (Title in English: Exile) being the first one published. So far two has been published and the reviewers in Denmark have been going wild, especially about book two Revolution. Ejersbo has previously published the very popular Nordkraft that was made into a movie. Eksil is my first novel by Ejersbo and although it was not quite what I expected, I really enjoyed it.
How come it's always the children who pray the price when the parents screw up?
Samantha is 15 when the book starts. She lives in Tanzania with her parents and a sister. Dad is former SAS soldier and now he's a mercenary, working for various regimes and overthrowing others. His idea of child rearing is to hit when they least expect it so his children practice in taking punches without flinching. Mom is an alcoholic and not really there and the relationship between the parents consist of verbal abuse.
In this oh so stable environment, Samantha and Alison grow up - but a lot of the growing up takes place at a boarding school. When we enter the story, Alison is no longer attending the school so Samantha is there on her own - and hating it. She does everything - alcohol, beer, cigarettes and other smokeable things, boys ... - and she is in no way in control. These teenagers are all in various degrees of trouble and that create quite an atmosphere to come of age in. The relationships between them jump around - everybody switch partners and one week they are madly in love and then next week, they hate and revile each other.
Samantha is different from the other girls. She says what she thinks and the other girls hate her for it. The various nationalities attending this international school has various culture clashes and Samantha always stands out and feels like the other don't respect her culture - which is to show off her body...
Samantha parties hard and wild and as her parents' relationship worsens, her sister leaves home and marries, her friends leave school and her father business start to cause problems for the entire family's ability to stay in Africa, Samantha starts falling apart. And when a teenage girl falls apart with easy access to alcohol and drugs, things go really bad.
This was more of a teenage book than I expected but at the same time, it's a very grownup book. And it's a scary read. How she just falls through the cracks and nobody cares enough to pick her up and help her through it all. The only person who really cares is her sister but she has more than enough to deal with with her new life and her attempt to save her parents' hotel business.
The book also touches upon the troubled relationship between blacks and whites in Africa. Samantha is white, all her friends are white - but she feels black after having lived in Tanzania since she was 3. White on the outside, black on the inside. The whites live separated from the blacks - Samantha speaks swahili as the only one and loves Africa. She wants to stay, even when her mother moves back to England. But because of her father, it's not certain she's able to.
The book reeks of doom the entire way through. Samantha gets worse and worse throughout the book, she tries more and more and gets into worse and worse situations. As a reader, you are just waiting to see how bad it goes ... and in that, you are not disappointed ...
Finished September 9, 2009.
Jacob Ejersbo is a Danish writer who unfortunately died last year only 40 years old, leaving behind three manuscripts, Eksil (Title in English: Exile) being the first one published. So far two has been published and the reviewers in Denmark have been going wild, especially about book two Revolution. Ejersbo has previously published the very popular Nordkraft that was made into a movie. Eksil is my first novel by Ejersbo and although it was not quite what I expected, I really enjoyed it.
How come it's always the children who pray the price when the parents screw up?
Samantha is 15 when the book starts. She lives in Tanzania with her parents and a sister. Dad is former SAS soldier and now he's a mercenary, working for various regimes and overthrowing others. His idea of child rearing is to hit when they least expect it so his children practice in taking punches without flinching. Mom is an alcoholic and not really there and the relationship between the parents consist of verbal abuse.
In this oh so stable environment, Samantha and Alison grow up - but a lot of the growing up takes place at a boarding school. When we enter the story, Alison is no longer attending the school so Samantha is there on her own - and hating it. She does everything - alcohol, beer, cigarettes and other smokeable things, boys ... - and she is in no way in control. These teenagers are all in various degrees of trouble and that create quite an atmosphere to come of age in. The relationships between them jump around - everybody switch partners and one week they are madly in love and then next week, they hate and revile each other.
Samantha is different from the other girls. She says what she thinks and the other girls hate her for it. The various nationalities attending this international school has various culture clashes and Samantha always stands out and feels like the other don't respect her culture - which is to show off her body...
Samantha parties hard and wild and as her parents' relationship worsens, her sister leaves home and marries, her friends leave school and her father business start to cause problems for the entire family's ability to stay in Africa, Samantha starts falling apart. And when a teenage girl falls apart with easy access to alcohol and drugs, things go really bad.
This was more of a teenage book than I expected but at the same time, it's a very grownup book. And it's a scary read. How she just falls through the cracks and nobody cares enough to pick her up and help her through it all. The only person who really cares is her sister but she has more than enough to deal with with her new life and her attempt to save her parents' hotel business.
The book also touches upon the troubled relationship between blacks and whites in Africa. Samantha is white, all her friends are white - but she feels black after having lived in Tanzania since she was 3. White on the outside, black on the inside. The whites live separated from the blacks - Samantha speaks swahili as the only one and loves Africa. She wants to stay, even when her mother moves back to England. But because of her father, it's not certain she's able to.
The book reeks of doom the entire way through. Samantha gets worse and worse throughout the book, she tries more and more and gets into worse and worse situations. As a reader, you are just waiting to see how bad it goes ... and in that, you are not disappointed ...
January 1, 2012
I loved this book, but it is such a difficult book to review. It’s hard to describe in words why this book was so engaging. It’s not your typical novel with a start, middle and ending. Rather, it reads like a memoir in the sense that it follows the protagonist over several years of her life.
Fifteen year old Samantha is not necessarily a likeable protagonist. She smokes, drinks, has a gutter mouth and is highly sexualised. But there is something very charming about her; she has a definite vulnerability that is endearing.
Sam lives in Tanzania with her parents and older sister Alison and is trying to find her place in the school for ex-pats. Only problem is that most of the teens at the school have just as many problems as her. Parents involved in corruption and frequently absent from their lives. It is not surprise that they just do whatever they like. Sam’s father is abusive and frequently on secret business trips while her mother is an alcoholic. The only constant in her life is her older sister, but Sam finds it difficult follow the success of her wise and likeable sister. Neither of her parents provide Sam with the stability she needs so she has no guidance and no boundaries.
So, Sam just does whatever she wants. Her desperate attempts to be loved usually results in the opposite because her defences come up and she either hurts herself or offends people. She is provocative with boys but also naïve and innocent in a sense. She uses her body to attract the attention of the opposite sex, but then doesn’t know what to do once she has their attention.
I thought her relationship with Mick was interesting; she really liked him but didn’t know how to express her feelings. Her relationship with Victor, at least fifteen years her senior was quite unsettling for me even though it was a consensual relationship, she was quite a vulnerable girl and there was something about him that made my stomach turn. Sam is strong and tough but also vulnerable and funny and these qualities provide a nice contrast throughout the story.
Despite the matter-of-fact storytelling it did evoke emotion in me as I followed Sam through her emotional ups and downs. I was completely taken by surprise for the ending, but it certainly fit with the path that Sam had taken throughout the novel. Exile is a very dark and cynical story so if you want a story where everyone lives happily ever after then this is not the story for you!
I can’t wait for the sequels to be released, Revolution in 2012 and Liberty in 2013. It’s a shame the author died before seeing this trilogy in print.
5/5 rating
Fifteen year old Samantha is not necessarily a likeable protagonist. She smokes, drinks, has a gutter mouth and is highly sexualised. But there is something very charming about her; she has a definite vulnerability that is endearing.
Sam lives in Tanzania with her parents and older sister Alison and is trying to find her place in the school for ex-pats. Only problem is that most of the teens at the school have just as many problems as her. Parents involved in corruption and frequently absent from their lives. It is not surprise that they just do whatever they like. Sam’s father is abusive and frequently on secret business trips while her mother is an alcoholic. The only constant in her life is her older sister, but Sam finds it difficult follow the success of her wise and likeable sister. Neither of her parents provide Sam with the stability she needs so she has no guidance and no boundaries.
So, Sam just does whatever she wants. Her desperate attempts to be loved usually results in the opposite because her defences come up and she either hurts herself or offends people. She is provocative with boys but also naïve and innocent in a sense. She uses her body to attract the attention of the opposite sex, but then doesn’t know what to do once she has their attention.
I thought her relationship with Mick was interesting; she really liked him but didn’t know how to express her feelings. Her relationship with Victor, at least fifteen years her senior was quite unsettling for me even though it was a consensual relationship, she was quite a vulnerable girl and there was something about him that made my stomach turn. Sam is strong and tough but also vulnerable and funny and these qualities provide a nice contrast throughout the story.
Despite the matter-of-fact storytelling it did evoke emotion in me as I followed Sam through her emotional ups and downs. I was completely taken by surprise for the ending, but it certainly fit with the path that Sam had taken throughout the novel. Exile is a very dark and cynical story so if you want a story where everyone lives happily ever after then this is not the story for you!
I can’t wait for the sequels to be released, Revolution in 2012 and Liberty in 2013. It’s a shame the author died before seeing this trilogy in print.
5/5 rating
February 20, 2022
To my surprise I enjoyed this, despite a large number of Young People in it, which made me think Yikes, Young Adult, get me out of here.
Recommended to those who would like to read about Young People without feeling obliged to be one (if only at heart) themselves.
Recommended to those who would like to read about Young People without feeling obliged to be one (if only at heart) themselves.
March 10, 2018
Bir üçleme olduğu için detaylı olarak görüş belirtmek istemiyorum. Yine de kısacık bahsedeyim.
Afrika seyahatimde de gözlemlediğim hissettiğimi okumak çok etkileyiciydi. Üçlemelere genelde hep sondan başlarım ama bu sefer baştan başlamak güzel oldu.
Şimdilik seriyi tamamlamak için sabırsızlandığımı söylesem yeter sanırım!
Afrika seyahatimde de gözlemlediğim hissettiğimi okumak çok etkileyiciydi. Üçlemelere genelde hep sondan başlarım ama bu sefer baştan başlamak güzel oldu.
Şimdilik seriyi tamamlamak için sabırsızlandığımı söylesem yeter sanırım!
October 18, 2015
Jeg har haft denne bog på min Kindle i årevis. Den har ikke virket tiltrækkende på mig. Men hold da op. Sikke en fantastisk overraskelse.
Nu er det et par dage siden, jeg blev færdig med den. Og da jeg vågnede i morges, var den det første, jeg tænkte på. Den sidder i kroppen på mig.
Nu er det et par dage siden, jeg blev færdig med den. Og da jeg vågnede i morges, var den det første, jeg tænkte på. Den sidder i kroppen på mig.
January 1, 2020
En syngende Afrikalussing lige i sylten, det er, hvad Ejersbo byder læserne i første del af sin højt besungne trilogi om det fortabte kontinent. I lighed med Mørkets Hjerte af Joseph Conrad, kan man tolke den hvide teenagepige Samanthas barske og kærlighedsforladte opvækst, som en metafor over europæernes udnyttende og håbløse gebærden i den post-koloniale æra, hvor alt hander om at tage uden at give noget som helst tilbage af sig selv. Resultatet bliver så også derefter. Det er svært ikke at blive dybt berørt af Eksil, som alligevel - på trods af sit barske udtryk - lover umådeligt godt for den resterende del af trilogien.
May 6, 2017
Jeg forstår ikke hypen. Historien kører i den samme trummerum. Ufattelig kedelig, langsom og ensformigt. Samantha laver ikke andet end at ryge, drikke, svømme, komme i problemer med skolen og dreng X og så hade England. Sproget er simpelt, minimalistisk og lige en kant for sofistikeret til at gøre romanen til en komplet teenage-agtigt angstpræget fortælling, hvorfor de to stjerner.
Read
August 6, 2011Det er over min fatteevne, at en mand kan beskrive teenage-tilværelsen hos en rodløs pige så præcist. Og samtidig få beskrevet en del af hvid/sort problematikken nedenunder hovedhistorien. Læs den og få din teenage-datter til at gøre det samme!
July 15, 2024
Abysmal. If this is meant to be plot driven, it fails because it bored me to death. If the main focus is the exploration of the themes, which admittedly are interesting, it also failed at that. I felt very little for the characters, possibly due to the writing focusing more on actions than thoughts. Nearly every single character was a caricature and there was no character development whatsoever.
TL;DR I didn't like it
TL;DR I didn't like it
September 30, 2025
Read this in English. Usually, writing in translations tends to suffer, as it's hard to translate authorial voice. But here it actually worked well: I loved the spare, present tense writing style. It reminded me a bit of Hilary Mantel or Michael Ondaatje: sharp, quick cuts, short scenes.
Unfortunately, the writing style was about the only thing I liked about this book. The plot is one-note: a year or two in the life of a bored, disaffected white expat teen, Sam, in Tanzania in the early 1980s.
The expat crowd (both colonial and post-colonial) can certainly be an interesting microcosm to explore, but usually I expect a bit more about the actual surrounding context to come into play. Here, we follow our protagonist around as she smokes, drinks, does some drugs, has sex, laments being neither here nor there (neither English nor Tanzanian) and fights with her semi-evil dad. Every so often, we get a short paragraph on Life in Tanzania; and these always ring very lecturey, such as "Here in Tanzania..." where you insert any African stereotype you can think of, such as "only poor people ride bicycles" or "white dudes hit on local prostitutes" or "people beat thieves to death via mob justice". It's incredibly superficial, not at all nuanced, and usually left me rolling my eyes a bit. (I should mention I *am* a white expat in Tanzania.)
Good drama is usually defined by the protagonist encountering a conflict, resolving it one way or another, and then changing. Unfortunately, the narrative arc of this book is completely flat: Sam of page 1 is identical to Sam of page 100 to Sam of page N. Also, how many pages do I have to read of essentially the exact same action items: Sam smokes. Sam doesn't want to go to England. Sam gets in trouble at school. Sam has problems with boy X. Sam is horny. Sam swims. Seriously, this is EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS. The same scenes get recycled endlessly.
The few plot pieces - which include a rape - feel more like they're in there for shock value. What are we supposed to learn about Sam? The other characters? The place? Post-colonialism? We don't learn much. Or, it seems, the book's only message is, "The world is a cruel, brutal place." Literally all the characters (including Sam) are one-dimensionally hedonistic and amoral. It's... really boring. And that philosophy of simplistic, reductionist cynicism is... also really tedious. This book could have been half the length, and the point would have been made.
Apparently, this is book 1 of a trilogy about "Africa" (which I suppose means Tanzania). I'm still curious about the second book, as it apparently follows people OTHER than the bored and boring white expat crowd. I hope I can learn something about Tanzania next time. Though I'm a little worried I'll just get some poverty porn about people being cruel and evil in this brutal, unforgiving world we live in. Sigh.
Unfortunately, the writing style was about the only thing I liked about this book. The plot is one-note: a year or two in the life of a bored, disaffected white expat teen, Sam, in Tanzania in the early 1980s.
The expat crowd (both colonial and post-colonial) can certainly be an interesting microcosm to explore, but usually I expect a bit more about the actual surrounding context to come into play. Here, we follow our protagonist around as she smokes, drinks, does some drugs, has sex, laments being neither here nor there (neither English nor Tanzanian) and fights with her semi-evil dad. Every so often, we get a short paragraph on Life in Tanzania; and these always ring very lecturey, such as "Here in Tanzania..." where you insert any African stereotype you can think of, such as "only poor people ride bicycles" or "white dudes hit on local prostitutes" or "people beat thieves to death via mob justice". It's incredibly superficial, not at all nuanced, and usually left me rolling my eyes a bit. (I should mention I *am* a white expat in Tanzania.)
Good drama is usually defined by the protagonist encountering a conflict, resolving it one way or another, and then changing. Unfortunately, the narrative arc of this book is completely flat: Sam of page 1 is identical to Sam of page 100 to Sam of page N. Also, how many pages do I have to read of essentially the exact same action items: Sam smokes. Sam doesn't want to go to England. Sam gets in trouble at school. Sam has problems with boy X. Sam is horny. Sam swims. Seriously, this is EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS. The same scenes get recycled endlessly.
The few plot pieces - which include a rape - feel more like they're in there for shock value. What are we supposed to learn about Sam? The other characters? The place? Post-colonialism? We don't learn much. Or, it seems, the book's only message is, "The world is a cruel, brutal place." Literally all the characters (including Sam) are one-dimensionally hedonistic and amoral. It's... really boring. And that philosophy of simplistic, reductionist cynicism is... also really tedious. This book could have been half the length, and the point would have been made.
Apparently, this is book 1 of a trilogy about "Africa" (which I suppose means Tanzania). I'm still curious about the second book, as it apparently follows people OTHER than the bored and boring white expat crowd. I hope I can learn something about Tanzania next time. Though I'm a little worried I'll just get some poverty porn about people being cruel and evil in this brutal, unforgiving world we live in. Sigh.
April 3, 2022
If I could give it negative stars i would. I'm not usually so negative about books but this one managed to disappoint in every way imaginable. The main character is poorly written, I know no 15 year old girls who think like her and can recognize very little in her, it becomes very clear that this is a 15 year old girl written by an adult man. On top of that it gives a very one-sided view of being an expat in Africa (coming from an expat kid who had nothing near the experiences Samantha describes) Sure there are a few bad nuts like the ones in this story but it's not the majority like this book makes it out to be. All round a boom that gives a poor look into being an expat in Tanzania while also failing at being a coming of age book about a female person. Would not recommend at all.
January 30, 2020
I am speechless at the emotional tumult this book left me with. It's amazing how simple writing can do so much to you.
'Exile' is organised as a series of fragments in Samantha's life in Tanzania. She is of English heritage, but she identifies with the African way of living because it's the only one she's ever known. The book has one of my favourite themes - cultural clashes. Samantha's character is also rather unbelievable - not only is she a crazy teenager, but she lives her life as she pleases, with minimal intrusion from her family, has energised sexual encounters, experiments with drugs, doesn't care about the consequences for her actions and goes on stubbornly and independently. She is... an interesting main character to follow, and sometimes things do take a toll for the worst for her, but she adapts and moves on. Some of the things she experiences as a result of being a woman in Africa are truly devastating, but she still sees it as her home.
This story is so far removed from what I know that it made it shocking, engaging, and the fact that it is told through Samantha's perspective is all the more absorbing. I found the way she decides on Africa, even though there are promises of a better life elsewhere, speaks volumes for the kind of culture she identifies with purely for living there rather than it being her own or being fostered by her family. It also opens up a lot of questions about what ex-pats actually do in these third world countries, they just take advantage of the local resources, including the people.
It's a book that will break you, but sadly I think it bears so much truth.
The rest of Ejersbo's series appears to be on the same subject but with other characters, and I really hope it will affect me as deeply as this one did.
'Exile' is organised as a series of fragments in Samantha's life in Tanzania. She is of English heritage, but she identifies with the African way of living because it's the only one she's ever known. The book has one of my favourite themes - cultural clashes. Samantha's character is also rather unbelievable - not only is she a crazy teenager, but she lives her life as she pleases, with minimal intrusion from her family, has energised sexual encounters, experiments with drugs, doesn't care about the consequences for her actions and goes on stubbornly and independently. She is... an interesting main character to follow, and sometimes things do take a toll for the worst for her, but she adapts and moves on. Some of the things she experiences as a result of being a woman in Africa are truly devastating, but she still sees it as her home.
This story is so far removed from what I know that it made it shocking, engaging, and the fact that it is told through Samantha's perspective is all the more absorbing. I found the way she decides on Africa, even though there are promises of a better life elsewhere, speaks volumes for the kind of culture she identifies with purely for living there rather than it being her own or being fostered by her family. It also opens up a lot of questions about what ex-pats actually do in these third world countries, they just take advantage of the local resources, including the people.
It's a book that will break you, but sadly I think it bears so much truth.
The rest of Ejersbo's series appears to be on the same subject but with other characters, and I really hope it will affect me as deeply as this one did.
February 5, 2024
AFSLUTNINGEN???? Jeg er i chok - og faktisk også lidt ked af det.
3 stjerner synes måske ikke af meget, men det er helt sikkert en bog som jeg vil anbefale man læser hvis man allerede har en interesse for den. Men det er ikke en roman jeg vil anbefale til alle. Der er utroligt mange triggers - alt fra racisme, kønsdiskriminering, kropsdiskriminering, dyremishandling. Romanen er skrevet fra perspektivet af hovedpersonen Samantha (Sam) engelsk født, men opvokset (som hvid) i Tanzania og det er hendes (problematiske) holdninger der kommer til udtryk. Men jeg må indrømme, at det af og til føltes som at forfatteren misbrugte det til at smøre tyk på og gemme sig (og måske sine holdninger) bag Sams holdninger. Det at Ejersbo har skabt Samantha, som er en tomboy teenager stiller mig en smule kritiks til værks - hvad ved han om at er være en teenager pige?
Ser man bort fra det ovenstående var det en meget sørgelig fortælling, som rørte mig dybt. Jeg kommer helt sikkert til, at læse de to andre romaner i serien - måske ikke lige foreløbig men på sigt.
Der var generelt ikke så meget scenebeskrivelse, som gjorde det lidt svært, at forestille sig Tanzania i slutningen af 1980s - havde Ejersbo hjulpet lidt med at skabe tydligere billeder tror jeg nok at “Eksil” havde fået 3,5-3,75 stjerner. Måske endda 4.
3 stjerner synes måske ikke af meget, men det er helt sikkert en bog som jeg vil anbefale man læser hvis man allerede har en interesse for den. Men det er ikke en roman jeg vil anbefale til alle. Der er utroligt mange triggers - alt fra racisme, kønsdiskriminering, kropsdiskriminering, dyremishandling. Romanen er skrevet fra perspektivet af hovedpersonen Samantha (Sam) engelsk født, men opvokset (som hvid) i Tanzania og det er hendes (problematiske) holdninger der kommer til udtryk. Men jeg må indrømme, at det af og til føltes som at forfatteren misbrugte det til at smøre tyk på og gemme sig (og måske sine holdninger) bag Sams holdninger. Det at Ejersbo har skabt Samantha, som er en tomboy teenager stiller mig en smule kritiks til værks - hvad ved han om at er være en teenager pige?
Ser man bort fra det ovenstående var det en meget sørgelig fortælling, som rørte mig dybt. Jeg kommer helt sikkert til, at læse de to andre romaner i serien - måske ikke lige foreløbig men på sigt.
Der var generelt ikke så meget scenebeskrivelse, som gjorde det lidt svært, at forestille sig Tanzania i slutningen af 1980s - havde Ejersbo hjulpet lidt med at skabe tydligere billeder tror jeg nok at “Eksil” havde fået 3,5-3,75 stjerner. Måske endda 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2019
Jeg var plaget i starten ift den meget rå beskrivelse af kostskolemiljøet. Jeg oplevede det tog lidt for langt til før historien udviklede sig. Men da denne fortælling blev spredt ud til familiefortællinger og forstørret til en tredjeverdensforståelse, blev jeg virkelig fanget ind og kunne ikke få nok af at følge Samanthas søgen efter “lykke” og kærlighed. Den efterlader virkelig et billeder af mennesker i verden som vi ellers ikke har hørt så meget om.
January 6, 2016
Eksil beskriver udfordringerne ved ikke at passe ind og altid at gøre det forkerte på en overraskende realistisk måde.
Hovedpersonen Samantha bor i Afrika med sine forældre og sin storesøster Alison. Samantha er fra England, men har boet i Tanzania stort set hele sit liv.
Hun er en del af et hvidt samfund, midt i det mørke Afrika, der med mere eller mindre hensynsløse metoder skaffer sig magt og penge. Søsteren rejser til England for at studere, og Samantha efterlades i Tanzania. Hverdagen på kostskolen er nu uden Alison, og ferierne bruger hun i sit barndomshjem i Tanga sammen med sine forældre, hvis forhold er så godt som ikke eksisterende.
Alison har altid gjort det rigtige, men Samantha kun kan gøre det forkerte. På kostskolen går der folk fra hele verden, og der er en masse kulturer at tage hensyn til. Samantha ved egentlig godt, hvordan man gør, men hun vælger gang på gang at provokere de andre elever. Hun går altid lige over grænsen, og der er intet man kan gøre eller sige for at stoppe hende. Hun er ikke ond eller ubetænksom, hun bliver bare nødt til ikke at gøre som de andre. Hun vil ikke være som dem, for hun har set, hvordan det korrupte Afrika er.
Eksil er meget velskrevet. Den er bygget op af korte kapitler på cirka en side, så man hele tiden kommer til lige at læse en side mere. Man krummer tæer, når hun tager dårlige beslutninger, men man forstår grundende til dem, man er så meget inde i hendes hoved og hendes tanker, at man ikke kan bebrejde hende for hendes valg.
Eksil er fuld af stoffer, sex, alkohol, komplicerede familieforhold, dårlige beslutninger, mange forskellige drenge og en masse helt almindelig hverdagsproblemer alle teenagere forstår.
Eksil ligger lige mellem 4 og 5 stjerner. Den eneste grund til, at jeg giver den 4 er, at jeg synes der mangler en lille smule positive ting, da den er meget hård og barsk.
Hovedpersonen Samantha bor i Afrika med sine forældre og sin storesøster Alison. Samantha er fra England, men har boet i Tanzania stort set hele sit liv.
Hun er en del af et hvidt samfund, midt i det mørke Afrika, der med mere eller mindre hensynsløse metoder skaffer sig magt og penge. Søsteren rejser til England for at studere, og Samantha efterlades i Tanzania. Hverdagen på kostskolen er nu uden Alison, og ferierne bruger hun i sit barndomshjem i Tanga sammen med sine forældre, hvis forhold er så godt som ikke eksisterende.
Alison har altid gjort det rigtige, men Samantha kun kan gøre det forkerte. På kostskolen går der folk fra hele verden, og der er en masse kulturer at tage hensyn til. Samantha ved egentlig godt, hvordan man gør, men hun vælger gang på gang at provokere de andre elever. Hun går altid lige over grænsen, og der er intet man kan gøre eller sige for at stoppe hende. Hun er ikke ond eller ubetænksom, hun bliver bare nødt til ikke at gøre som de andre. Hun vil ikke være som dem, for hun har set, hvordan det korrupte Afrika er.
Eksil er meget velskrevet. Den er bygget op af korte kapitler på cirka en side, så man hele tiden kommer til lige at læse en side mere. Man krummer tæer, når hun tager dårlige beslutninger, men man forstår grundende til dem, man er så meget inde i hendes hoved og hendes tanker, at man ikke kan bebrejde hende for hendes valg.
Eksil er fuld af stoffer, sex, alkohol, komplicerede familieforhold, dårlige beslutninger, mange forskellige drenge og en masse helt almindelig hverdagsproblemer alle teenagere forstår.
Eksil ligger lige mellem 4 og 5 stjerner. Den eneste grund til, at jeg giver den 4 er, at jeg synes der mangler en lille smule positive ting, da den er meget hård og barsk.
May 28, 2012
I read this in English - Exile
Interesting book this
It tells the story of an English girl and her family in Tanzania in the early and mid 80s
it is the story of white boredom in Africa; of lost kids with nothing to do and no real responsibility; of the odd structure of African society; and of the sadness of an empty childhood.
I lived in Tanzania for a short while in the mid-nineties and this book really resonated with me. The ten years between the setting of the book and my time in the Africa country doesn't seem to have had much effect on the colonial whities living there.
I recognised so many of the people - and so many of the circumstances
the book is sparse in many ways but this, for me, makes it more realistic. Samantha is a teenage girl doing teenage stuff in a place where there are no rules she feels she needs to abide by. Her family is disintegrating; her parents lost and unable to raise her; her home not her home because she is, and always will be, a transported white person in Africa.
and when you do not belong, or when nothing truly is your own, is it likely that you will develop any sense of responsibility, or sense of cause and effect?
she certainly doesn't
and pays a hefty price
yeah - an interesting book - and the first in a triology. Not sure what will come next, perhaps another story entirely. but i am keen to find out
Such a pity the author died before these books were published - i hate that he didn't see them on shelves, and, according to the blurb, with a cult following
worth reading, and even more so if you have every had the dust of Africa in your lungs
Interesting book this
It tells the story of an English girl and her family in Tanzania in the early and mid 80s
it is the story of white boredom in Africa; of lost kids with nothing to do and no real responsibility; of the odd structure of African society; and of the sadness of an empty childhood.
I lived in Tanzania for a short while in the mid-nineties and this book really resonated with me. The ten years between the setting of the book and my time in the Africa country doesn't seem to have had much effect on the colonial whities living there.
I recognised so many of the people - and so many of the circumstances
the book is sparse in many ways but this, for me, makes it more realistic. Samantha is a teenage girl doing teenage stuff in a place where there are no rules she feels she needs to abide by. Her family is disintegrating; her parents lost and unable to raise her; her home not her home because she is, and always will be, a transported white person in Africa.
and when you do not belong, or when nothing truly is your own, is it likely that you will develop any sense of responsibility, or sense of cause and effect?
she certainly doesn't
and pays a hefty price
yeah - an interesting book - and the first in a triology. Not sure what will come next, perhaps another story entirely. but i am keen to find out
Such a pity the author died before these books were published - i hate that he didn't see them on shelves, and, according to the blurb, with a cult following
worth reading, and even more so if you have every had the dust of Africa in your lungs
January 31, 2024
Så blev jeg færdig.. en virkelig barsk og grotesk historie. Selvom den havde en ret simpel dialog og meget korte kapitler, så fandt jeg den virkelig svær at læse. Jeg blev aldrig helt fanget, og alt for ofte forvirret af det meget store persongalleri. Så hjælper det heller ikke, at hovedpersonen nok er den mest usympatiske og irriterende karakter, jeg længe har læst, samtidig med at man ikke kunne lade være med at have ondt af hende. Havde sådan en lyst til at ruske hende. Kan forestille mig at det nok var et meget bevidst valg fra Ejersbos side at skrive hende på den måde, men det gjorde simpelthen at jeg synes den var hård at komme igennem. Derudover, så var alle sexscenerne og beskrivelserne af kvindekroppen kæmpe no go for mig. Det bliver altså lidt for meget teenagepige skrevet af en voksen mand, der står jeg af. Jeg havde selv virkelig svært ved at identificere mig med
På trods af alt dette, var det også et virkelig spændende indblik i en verden jeg ikke anede noget om. Meget rå, levende og nøgne beskrivelser. Jeg ville gerne have haft mere historisk indblik, og lidt mindre førstehåndsfortælling. Jeg ved ikke, om der er noget i den, jeg ikke ser, da alle omkring mig anbefalede den, og da jeg også virkelig godt kunne lide Nordkraft. Den er nok bare ikke noget for mig.
På trods af alt dette, var det også et virkelig spændende indblik i en verden jeg ikke anede noget om. Meget rå, levende og nøgne beskrivelser. Jeg ville gerne have haft mere historisk indblik, og lidt mindre førstehåndsfortælling. Jeg ved ikke, om der er noget i den, jeg ikke ser, da alle omkring mig anbefalede den, og da jeg også virkelig godt kunne lide Nordkraft. Den er nok bare ikke noget for mig.
September 22, 2016
A Danish male author writes a compelling story narrated as a kind of memoir covering four years of a British girl's life living with her ex-pat family in Tanzania in the 1980s. It is a book that makes a powerful statement of the Western world in Africa. A book that is different and impressive.
Samantha is 15 at the start of the book. She is independent, rebellious, hot-tempered, highly sexual. She attends a boarding school where other ex-pats and locals (native Tanzanians and Indians) attend. Her circle of friends shrink as families return to their home countries and she remains bored, looking for the next party, a lover of Africa and afraid of returning to England a country she has not really lived in.
Her father is ex-SAS and has a number of dubious businesses in the world of African mercenaries. His input in the book is to show all the things that have gone wrong in Africa - Western colonialism, support to corrupt regimes, removal of resources from Africa with no benefit to most Africans, etc.
The writing is unusual in its structure and form. Samantha and most of the other characters are not likeable but gritty, real and imperfect in their lives.
Samantha is 15 at the start of the book. She is independent, rebellious, hot-tempered, highly sexual. She attends a boarding school where other ex-pats and locals (native Tanzanians and Indians) attend. Her circle of friends shrink as families return to their home countries and she remains bored, looking for the next party, a lover of Africa and afraid of returning to England a country she has not really lived in.
Her father is ex-SAS and has a number of dubious businesses in the world of African mercenaries. His input in the book is to show all the things that have gone wrong in Africa - Western colonialism, support to corrupt regimes, removal of resources from Africa with no benefit to most Africans, etc.
The writing is unusual in its structure and form. Samantha and most of the other characters are not likeable but gritty, real and imperfect in their lives.
May 1, 2015
Hvis ikke jeg havde siddet i et S-tog da jeg havde læst den færdig, havde jeg grædt.
Man har lyst til at slå på alle de dumme mennesker, trøste Samantha, slå Samantha.
Jakob Ejersbo får skabt et univers rundt om Samantha, som kan minde om et spindelvæv. Hun kan ikke komme væk, men vil heller ikke væk.
Det er en bog med temaerne: ungdom, socialrealisme, Afrika, stoffer, kærlighed, sex, familie, liv og tryghed.
Grunden til den sidste stjerne ikke er der: jeg skulle holde tungen lige i munden, noglegange, for at holde styr på persongalleriet. Men det er nok fordi jeg ikke er vant til at læse længere romaner.
Men jeg glæder mig til at læse 'liberty' og 'revolution'.
Man har lyst til at slå på alle de dumme mennesker, trøste Samantha, slå Samantha.
Jakob Ejersbo får skabt et univers rundt om Samantha, som kan minde om et spindelvæv. Hun kan ikke komme væk, men vil heller ikke væk.
Det er en bog med temaerne: ungdom, socialrealisme, Afrika, stoffer, kærlighed, sex, familie, liv og tryghed.
Grunden til den sidste stjerne ikke er der: jeg skulle holde tungen lige i munden, noglegange, for at holde styr på persongalleriet. Men det er nok fordi jeg ikke er vant til at læse længere romaner.
Men jeg glæder mig til at læse 'liberty' og 'revolution'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2015
I really enjoyed this character driven book that is as much coming of age piece as it is an interrogation of European politics in Africa; particularly in the 1980s but as relevant today as these issues were then. The protagonist starts the book as a 15 year old girl with habits that are bad enough for adults to have, worse still for adolescence. However it is that negative energy that pushes the story along and captures the readers attention, allowing for the political and social commentary to unfold more naturally. Definitely recommend this book. Now if only I can find the next two in English translation (or master Danish and translate it myself).
February 5, 2021
boy, that was not enjoyable. i really despised this protagonist. did she remind me of myself? either this is a really good book, or some of the worst i've ever read. i don't know. either way, it was not enjoyable.
July 1, 2021
Este libro me ha dejado fuera de lugar. Es un libro que merece la pena ser leído por su calidad, su argumento y su fuerza para no dejar indiferente a nadie. Creo que narra una historia tan desgarradora de una forma tan natural que no puede ser leído por todo el público, porque en cada capítulo prácticamente aparece algún suceso aterrador.
En forma de memorias, podemos ver la caótica vida de Samantha desde los 15 hasta los 18 años de edad, la cual reside en Tanzania con su familia, originarios de Inglaterra. Tienen buen status social, asiste a un internado privado con los hijos de las más influyentes figuras de ese país y su familia es totalmente negligente para cuidarla… y corrupta. Añadiendo más, se enfrenta a todo lo que experimenta un adolescente pero en un país mucho más extremo. Totalmente apátrida, busca su lugar en el mundo pero nadie está ahí para guiarla.
He amado la realidad con la que el autor narra cada lugar, costumbre y dato de Tanzania y de la parte de África más olvidada y salvaje, haciendo del libro una verdadera obra maestra. Por último, creo que los personajes estaban muy bien definidos y la historia se estructura de forma tan ideal que no se hacía pesada en ningún momento.
Totalmente recomendable ❤️
En forma de memorias, podemos ver la caótica vida de Samantha desde los 15 hasta los 18 años de edad, la cual reside en Tanzania con su familia, originarios de Inglaterra. Tienen buen status social, asiste a un internado privado con los hijos de las más influyentes figuras de ese país y su familia es totalmente negligente para cuidarla… y corrupta. Añadiendo más, se enfrenta a todo lo que experimenta un adolescente pero en un país mucho más extremo. Totalmente apátrida, busca su lugar en el mundo pero nadie está ahí para guiarla.
He amado la realidad con la que el autor narra cada lugar, costumbre y dato de Tanzania y de la parte de África más olvidada y salvaje, haciendo del libro una verdadera obra maestra. Por último, creo que los personajes estaban muy bien definidos y la historia se estructura de forma tan ideal que no se hacía pesada en ningún momento.
Totalmente recomendable ❤️
July 28, 2025
En bog hvor hver side vender den næste, og man føler man blot kan følge tankestrømmen fra Samantha og kan lade sig rive med. Det kan mærkes at Jakob selv har boet i Afrika på den måde omgivelserne og erfaringerne bliver beskrevet på en troværdig og detaljeret måde.
Det er ikke nemt at regne ud hvad der kommer til at ske i Eksil hvilket holder interessen stor. Der kunne måske godt mangle en lille smule spænding , men ellers var den super
Det er ikke nemt at regne ud hvad der kommer til at ske i Eksil hvilket holder interessen stor. Der kunne måske godt mangle en lille smule spænding , men ellers var den super
October 6, 2022
The book tells the story about the rebellious Samantha who lives in Tanzania. You are introduced into her wild and astonishing life which gives insights in the life of a teenager that tríes to find her place in a world she doesn’t seem to belong into.
Gripping and easy to read.
Gripping and easy to read.
January 23, 2025
En meget barsk bog skrevet på et sprog der hvirvler en rundt i handlinger og tanker. Jeg føler mig ligeså forvirret som Samantha, men det er en ret fed evne af en bog at have.
March 27, 2024
Wooooow
Den her bog var virkelig et punch to the face. Og det gik low key først op for mig på de sidste 50 sider
Anyways, ik læs den her basse hvis du i forvejen er lidt depressed, jeg er heldig jeg er en happy hombre, så der er intet kan fucke med mig : )
Er spændt på den næste i serien
Den her bog var virkelig et punch to the face. Og det gik low key først op for mig på de sidste 50 sider
Anyways, ik læs den her basse hvis du i forvejen er lidt depressed, jeg er heldig jeg er en happy hombre, så der er intet kan fucke med mig : )
Er spændt på den næste i serien
November 16, 2025
Jeg er lige blevet færdig med den i dansk. Kan virkelig mærke min lære er kæmpe fan, tror dog ikke man kan sige det samme om mig.
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