Behold the Dreamers

An excellent debut novel, with an extraordinary well told story. From complex characters and well crafted dialogues, this story has all the ingredients of a page turner. The story is so real that at the end of it, was asking what actually happened with the characters after the book is over.

What do you get when you put an immigrant couple who think the USA is the best thing after sliced bread, a rich American couple who seem to have achieved the American dream, some puff-puff and fried plantain in the city that never sleeps? A fascinating debut novel about marriage, class, race, the immigrant struggle and the pursuit of happiness.

This novel takes us on a journey with Jenge, a Cameroonian man trying to swindle his way to an American green card, and his wife Neni who is determined to finish her education and become a Pharmacist. These two start out with so much hope in this story, America is the best country in the world and they are excited about their future as citizens of the greatest civilization in the world. Things are looking up as Jenge lands a job as a chauffeur to Wall Street executive, Clark. That is until he is informed that his application for asylum in the US has been denied. This is reasonable, given that the only thing pursuing him is poverty and hunger. As if things couldn't get worse, Wall Street collapses and an economic recession hits. This leads Jenge and his family down a path where they have to decide if their home is really so terrible after all.

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be "Charming". The prose is so smooth, the story so engaging and the main characters, especially Jenge, are so adorable, you can't help putting in some emotional investment. Which is also why, I was disappointed in the person his obsession to get papers and subsequent failure to do so turned him into in the end.

I strongly resent how Jenge forced his final decision on Neni without even a consideration for her own dreams and desires. I wish the patriarchy wasn't so real in this book but this is the world we live in, even if I like to pretend it isn't so.
Honestly, part of me wishes she had gone ahead with her harebrained immigration scam, even if it was ridiculous and a little dangerous. In fact, I was rooting for a divorce (don't judge me), which I was sure was imminent. It didn't happen. Which makes me question what the Author's agenda was with all the angst. Unless there was no agenda, sadly this is the reality of many women in our society today. When Daddy fill-in-the-blank says jump, you ask how high. Asking intelligent questions is unAfrican and if you make that mistake and get beaten to a pulp as a result, you can't call the police 'cos it's a family matter.
Honestly, when I take things like this into consideration, I start to wonder if this marriage idea is even worth the trouble but I digress.

In spite of this book upsetting my feminist sensibilities, I still enjoyed it. Even with a somewhat serious subject matter, it is a fun book. I loved how the Author captured the voices of Africans, even more because Cameroon is practically Nigeria, except they speak French. Okay, maybe not but I'm famzing them anyways.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Harper Collins UK in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. I loved it. Beautifully written, with an unusual and very clever structure that allows Imbolo Mbue to tell two New York stories; the first of Jende and Neni and their son, immigrants in 2007 to the US from Cameroon, and the story of Clarke Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers just before the crash, and his lonely and once poor wife Cindy Edwards and their two sons. Jende secures a position as Clarke’s chaffeur and it is through his listening ear that we gain access to Edwards’ family dynamics. Both families are following the American Dream…
Jende and Neni’s voices are wonderful and give such evocative insight into the stresses of being an immigrant, desperate to retain a job and ultimately a green card. The relationships that develop between Jende and Clark Edwards, and also between Neni and Cindy Edwards, when Neni is given a job minding their nine-year-old son in their summer house, negotiate the power/trust/racism boundary between the master and servant dynamic with empathy and a sense of realism. This novel has been long-listed for the Man Booker Prize and it has my vote. A stunning debut novel. Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for an Advance Reader copy, although it is such a wonderful book I have also bought my own copy!