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| A title more apt than I'd originally assumed. |
Infrequently do you find so many stories within stories all woven together to make something short of a convoluted mess. I would refrain from saying the novel was confusing, as I read it in entirety and feel as though I grasp the author's intent. The parallel of Jonas' search for a life in New York City with his wife and his father's search for asylum loosely match up; though not as seamlessly as the midwestern journey the three characters share (Jonas alone, his mother and father together).
While Mengestu writes with well thought prose and a voice that is to be appreciated, the story would benefit from further character exploration. Four strong individuals exist in the book, but due to the desire to keep the "true story" mysterious, the connection and ability to feel any sympathy for them is lost.
Just as Jonas feels disappointment in the lack of explanatory contents in the box he receives after his father's death, I too feel as though I've been cheated from knowing someone that Mengestu is keeping hidden away.
