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A General Theory of Oblivion

José Eduardo Agualusa — 2015

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL 2016 The brilliant new novel from the winner of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. On the eve of Angolan independence, Ludo bricks herself into her apartment, where she will remain for the next thirty years. She lives off vegetables and pigeons, burns her furniture and books to stay alive and keeps herself busy by writing her story on the walls of her home. The outside world slowly seeps into Ludo's life through snippets on the radio, voices from next door, glimpses of a man fleeing his pursuers and a note attached to a birdâe(tm)s foot. Until one day she meets Sabalu, a young boy from the street who climbs up to her terrace.

Reviews

Shona Tiger@shonatiger

Jan 19, 2023

Magical. And I suppose I may mean magical realism, but it was lightly done. I loved the connections between the characters, and the writer created a very atmospheric book, which made peri-Independence (is that a term?) Angola feel very atmospheric. Very much recommend Agualusa’s writing; after reading this book, he is very high on my list of authors I’d like to read again. The structure of this book was perfect, and the story very beautifully done. Obviously, much is owed to the translator, who did a fantastic job. Maybe someday I will be proficient enough in Portuguese to read and appreciate the original. Highly recommend this, with a rating of 8/10.