The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

TK

Eileen Battersby:

Famously referred to as Africa’s Samuel Beckett, Congolese magician Alain Mabanckou is always smart and disturbing. Black Moses (translated from the French by Helen Stevenson) is about growing up fierce and fast. His comedy helps temper the indignation. Imagine Robin Hood’s merry men on the loose. Previously nominated for the Man Booker International in 2015, he is one to watch.

UK ebook release has been brought forward to 23 March and the Kindle edition is currently priced at a rather reasonable £4.74 (a bargain when many of the other longlisters are over £8).
Hardback still currently down as 20 April, but wouldn't be surprised if that changed now..

I just noticed that this book has become available much earlier to US readers. When I checked the day the longlist came out it wasn't going to be published til June 6, and both the hardback and Kindle version were a whopping $24! Even Book Depository, where I found all the others, did not have it posted as available til April 20, the day the short list will be announced.

Then last night I was delighted to see that the kindle version will be available March 23 for $8 at Amazon us.....YAY, the possibility still exists that I will be able to read all 13 before the shortlist comes out!

How funny that Ant.. and I were posting at the same time about the availably of this book in our respective countries! Read on!

Just finished it. Enjoyed reading it but I doubt that it will be on my short list. My main issue is the fact that the two parts are almost equal in length when part one feels like an introduction/scene setting for part two. It just felt unbalanced to me, but keen to hear what others make of it.

Review: Black Moses

Rather disappointed with this.

I run the risk of being that person who knew a band before they became mainstream and claims their early albums were much better than their more commercially successful ones. But...

This isn't a patch on his Rabelaisian and most famous Broken Glass - which also came stuffed with literary references in an Oulipan fashion (he worked the names of 170 works of world literature into the story).

I agree entirely on the scene setting being overbalanced. Further part two is split in two - his adventures in Point Noire were what I wanted to read about but that's a very rushed quarter (not even half) of the book.

And the end part where he has mental difficulties was not really convincing as a first person account.