Ms. Hen reviews Open City

 

Open City

Teju Cole

Random House

2011

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she found it at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She didn't know anything about this book, but she saw it had good reviews, and won some awards, so she gave it a try.

This novel is about a man from Nigeria, who is a Psychiatry Resident in New York City. He is finishing his residency, and spends his free time in the city, wandering the streets. He encounters different kinds of people, and talks to some. This novel takes places around 2006, when Tower Records and Blockbuster Video were in the process of closing, due to the Internet, and Ms. Hen thinks it's an interesting time. The world was in a state of flux. The character travels to Belgium to look for his grandmother, and meditates on the Nigeria of his youth.

Ms. Hen found that this novel left a bad taste in her mouth. Critics praised it up and down, and it won major awards, but Ms. Hen did not like spending time with this character. He is an elitist, and is condescending, and Ms. Hen thinks he is a sociopath. He seems like the type of person who enjoys hearing himself talk, and will force anyone around him to listen to his pontificating about any subject he thinks he possesses knowledge on. 

Ms. Hen came to the conclusion that the critics who praised this novel vehemently are the same type of person this character is drawn out to be: pompous, snobby, and difficult to be around. Ms. Hen prefers quirky characters with personality and charm, who will make her laugh, and help her think about the world in a new way.

Ms. Hen suffered through this novel, but fortunately it is short. One takes a gamble reading something unknown, but risks have to be taken in life, or else nothing would be gained.