A collection of short stories translated in English.
This is my first book by an Angolan writer, and which I choose for my reading around the world challenge.
The country has been devastated by colonialism (since the 16th century), only recently got its independence in 1975, and has been Angola (vs the People’s Republic of Angola) since 1992.
The stories are short but really packed with the after effects of colonialism, war and political unrest.
We follow different people from the author seemingly talking to the readers, which is at times fun and at times a bit confusing.
Some of the stories have really shocking bits in it. The stories varied in how good or enticing they were. Some 2 stars, some over 4 stars, so on average I’d give it 3 stars.
TW: Sexual abuse, War, Death, Violence, Abuse.

These stories shed light on Angolan experiences that have origins in politics, marriages, survival (at any costs), and the somewhat sad, dark experiences of their rather ordinary characters. It’s mostly a central narrator who is randomly dropping tidbits about random topics rooted in gossip, current events, or superstition/folklore. As with any short story collection, some are better than others - however, most of these were “middle of the road” offerings – entertaining enough, but overall, nothing spectacular. I found the first story, The Revolutionary and Counter Revolutionary Duck, to be the strongest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by Joao Melo.

I'll confess that I know nothing of the history of Angola except that it was a Portuguese colony at one time and its been torn apart by wars for a long time. This collection certainly doesn't dwell on those facts but they do inform a lot of the stories to a greater or lesser extent.

My favourite stories were The Revolutionary Duck and the Counter Revolutionary Duck which is the essence of how ridiculous life can be when different doctrines clash. Sir, Give Me Just a Fiver - a great example of escalation of want. The Portuguese Women Are Coming which was utterly crazyand very funny, The Baptism and finally, the title story. It might look like I've named most of the book but, as I said, I really enjoyed Melo's writing and his unique look at Angola's past, present and future. I'd love to read more of his work.

Thanks to Netgalley and Iskanchi Press for the advance review copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What an interesting collection of stories. The writing style was a bit varied that as I continued through the book I actually forgot that it was all written by the same author. Melo is apparently an interesting figure in his own right and I think that his various experiences shine through in his story telling. The characters and the situations are at times equally dark and absurd. They balance the serious and the whimsical. There is going to be something in this collection that will bring a chuckle to the most serious of readers.

I have to admit that I also really appreciated the footnotes that provided extra information on various things in the stories. I am not particularly familiar with Angola so I found it to also be an educational experience. This has motivated me to see what else I can find by other Angolan authors.

Great collection of stories that tackles heavy topics - about being Angolan. The author's background is very Angolan - he was the minister of Angola!

This book gives a wide range of perspectives of Angolan life and society (and sometimes as an expat).

Serious topics include: colonialism, poverty, race relations