Hello everyone. I hope you’re all doing well. Welcome to my blog.
[Image designed by me using Canva]
I love reading interesting books. I mean, who doesn’t? I’m sure no one enjoys reading boring books. There’s always this feeling of excitement when you read an extremely interesting book. A book that keeps you on your toes with the use of suspense, plot twists, and other elements. Sometimes, while exploring the book world or the universe made of books, we find ourselves reading boring books. Last semester (a month ago) one of the books we read was Open City by Teju Cole. This book is not meant for those that are not determined. You have to have the spirit of determination before you can read this book. This is because the book was written in a way that’d make readers get lost or bored. I spent about 2 weeks reading this book. Some of my coursemates read the first 30 pages and gave up on it. Don’t get me wrong, this book by TEJU Cole is a masterpiece. The book is about the exploration of the protagonist in New York City, writing a book on a character’s mere exploration made the book a little bit difficult to understand.
Open City was written by Teju Cole- A Nigerian-American writer. Open City is his debut novel which he published in 2011. The novel takes us on a profound exploration of identity, memory, and urban experience. The novel revolves around Julius, the protagonist as he walks around the city of New York.
The historical background of this novel strongly contributed to the development of the plot. The historical background of a literary work refers to the social, political, and economic context in which the novel was written. One of the factors that contributed to the historical background is the 9/11 attack. The 9/11 attack is also known as the October 11 attack. This was a period where several deaths occurred. The protagonist often reflects on the long-lasting effects of the 9/11 attack. Another factor that contributed to the development of the plot is the political and historical background of the protagonist’s home country. Julius, the protagonist, is from Nigeria. In the Novel, reflects on the past of his ancestors. They were once slaves. This factor also shaped his identity.
The novel explores the theme of identity. Identity is the most visible theme in Teju Cole’s Open City. Julius, the identity faces issues with his identity. One aspect of the issue of identity is the conflict between race and identity. Julius, the protagonist, is from Nigeria. However, he schooled in New York City and works as a researcher in a hospital. Julius is a black man who is expected to see his fellow black man as a brother, however, the reverse is the case. Julius does not want to have anything to do with other black people. He tries as much as possible to avoid conversations with them. Even though they are of the same skin color, he sees himself as different. One instance of this is when a cab driver tries to connect with Julius due to their shared identity. Julius entered his cab, and upon noticing that the cab driver was a black man, he frowned. The driver tried to make him feel better, but Julius did not want to have anything to do with him. Again, one of Julius’ patients tries to make connections with him due to their shared race. He tells Julius that he is glad to see a black man like himself in a white man’s coat. Although Julius slightly accepts the friendship, he thinks the connection is not as deep as the patient thinks.
The battle between identity and self-realization is another key theme to be discussed. Julius works as a researcher in a hospital. At the beginning of the play, we see that Julius likes his job. But as the narrative processes, we realize that his life's exploration goes beyond the confines of his job. Julius loves to explore. He is a flanèur. He likes to take walks around the city, observing the city life as it unfolds around him.
My COMMENTS
As I said earlier, this book by Teju Cole is a masterpiece. However, you have to stay determined if you want to discover beauty. The novel didn’t make use of too many characters and dialogue. This book gets 4 out of 6 stars.