I am in the minority here. I found this book hard going though I did finish it.

The reviews were so good that I think maybe I did not appreciate it the correct way.

The story of Azara who is a spirit child who despite a lot of sadness lives with much joy on his face. Called back to the land of the dead, his parents succeed in keeping him alive but in the process are made very poor.

There is a lot of problems between living in the land of the living with its existing issues and the carefree life of the dead. The book with its elements of magic did not draw me in the way it should have.

In spite of its iconic status I found this almost unreadable. Overwritten and overwrought, a rambling convoluted narrative, repetitive, with wild imagery and equally wild metaphors. It’s the tale of Azaro, a spirit child, and the incursions of the modern world into the old, a new world which has no place for spirits. I found the characters unrelatable, the violence sickening and the whole premise banal. If this is what life is like in a typical African village, then I don’t want any part of it – not even in fictional form.

I enjoyed the story but after a while I found it to be extremely repetitive. The young protagonist gets into the same kind of weird scrapes over and over again until it gets tiresome. I think the book could have been about half its length and would probably have held my interest more.

Not what I expected it to be. I tried to read it, but I just didn't like it.

I surrender! Thanks go to Net Galley and Open Road Media, from whom I received a DRC in exchange for an honest review; however, try though I have, I cannot push past the molasses-like allegory and other figurative language to locate a plot. After painfully forcing my way through the first 20% of the book, I went to Goodreads to see what other reviewers had to say about it. Some felt as I did, but others swore that if the reader could endure the first two-thirds of the story, the last third would not only be so amazing, it would also enlighten us as to why the earlier part was necessary. Seeing this, I vowed to persevere. By the 25% mark, I found I was avoiding this DRC, because just about every other galley in my possession was either more enjoyable to read, or more rewarding, or both.

Tonight I decided it was time to put up or shut up. Maybe this is one of those rare occasions when one should read a book out of sequence. I skipped to the 70% mark and found it was pretty much more of the same. The allegory pointed toward the horrific debt load that cripples African nations, but I already knew that, and if that is actually where this story is supposed to lead me--because really, I am still not sure--then it's a disappointment. I already knew about the impact of colonial overlords on African nations, and this did nothing to improve either my knowledge or my appreciation for literature.

I will add, however, that I have never liked magical realism. Either write fiction or nonfiction, don't try to do both at once. Even the work of Isabel Allende makes me crazy this way: we are in the midst of what feels like a genuine memoir, and then someone turns bottle-green and levitates. No, no, and no.

Those that have a great love of magical realism and thirst for African fiction may find joy here. This book has won prestigious awards, and I had anticipated that reading it would be rewarding. Just because it didn't happen for me doesn't mean it won't happen for you; but if you come to feast at Okri's table, bring a high literacy level with you, or you'll find yourself leaving it still hungry.

This title is available for purchase now.

A classic work of African literature with a clever narrative style and a compelling collection of characters. Really beautifully written, this novel won the Booker Prize ten years ago and it's great to see it regaining popularity.

I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first magic realism book I could get through...

Hypnotic and haunting is right. Could not put it down. Wonderful sense of place.,

While this book started out slowly, I came to enjoy the beautiful stories and appreciate the complex characters. The author paints a picture of the story in ones mind, filled with color and culture. This book is an important one to read.