Brazzaville Beach - William Boyd

[EcclesCake]

Has anyone read this book? I have and so has a friend and we are both at a loss to understand what it was about!

It seemed to be just a long rambling narrative about someone's life, without any particular beginning/middle/end or point.

Have we both missed a cunning sub-text?

[maggiebee]

Have just read some of the blurb. One reader said:

"This is probably one of the best books William Boyd has ever written. One of his greatest strengths as a writer is never patronising his audience or stooping to the lowest common denominator. You get sucked into the cleverly interwoven storylines, each of which are immensely believable and true to life. Characters are fleshed out and environments carefully portrayed down to the finest detail.

Boyd uses the chimpanzee metaphor to perfection. Everyone will draw parallels between the demise of Hope & John's relationship and the degeneration of the tribe into anarchy. Of course, there is one powerful overriding argument emanating from this fine book: the implication that

1. The chimps display extremely tribal behaviour at Grosso Arvore, and are capable of murder to defend their hierarchy
2. We are evolutionarily related to chimps
3. To murder is not inhuman

Doesn't sound my cup of tea.

[EcclesCake]

I agree with the first paragraph, he does write really good characters!

The rest though, well, that completely passed us by! I can't see myself re-reading in the hope of understanding it second time around.

Thanks Maggie!