This was quite an unusual read set over several generations from Africa to New Orleans from Harlem to London. Not so uncommon nowadays is the idea of generations intertwining over a couple of centuries with a thread running between them that they don't know about but then find out after a journey of discovery. However it's not simply formulaic and in places it's quite novel and unusual, it won the Whitbread Novel Award 2001 for the wild ride it takes the reader on. Gritty and straight to the point its not for the faint hearted in places with sexual and racial themes running right through it. A really quite blistering portrayal of New Orleans and its backwaters at the turn of the century makes up the core of the narrative as it charts the history of a Jazz trumpeter and his struggle as a poor black in early USA. No knowledge or interest is needed about early Jazz and its roots to really enjoy the narrative and really get to like the core characters. There is a streak of dark humour running through this especially when the story turns to modern day Africa in the bush when it get really quite funny indeed.
The narrative really is at its best in the parts of the novel based in New Orleans - it's really gripping and down to earth and doesn't flinch from the grittiness and unpleasantness of live poor black areas in the 1920's. The character of the weird Witchdoctor who seems always high on Marijuana lifts the plot to silly heights and another character drinks "Nigerian Guinness" blackcurrant juice in a pint of Guinness a new one on me that I may try one day!. I found the novel an easy read and quite entertaining with some parts certainly better than others and the whole story as a whole a little thin but the strength of the dialogue and the descriptive passages certainly made up for any perceivable deficiencies. Gritty realistic adult dialogue and a real flair for description make Patrick Neates novel well worth a look indeed!.
The narrative really is at its best in the parts of the novel based in New Orleans - it's really gripping and down to earth and doesn't flinch from the grittiness and unpleasantness of live poor black areas in the 1920's. The character of the weird Witchdoctor who seems always high on Marijuana lifts the plot to silly heights and another character drinks "Nigerian Guinness" blackcurrant juice in a pint of Guinness a new one on me that I may try one day!. I found the novel an easy read and quite entertaining with some parts certainly better than others and the whole story as a whole a little thin but the strength of the dialogue and the descriptive passages certainly made up for any perceivable deficiencies. Gritty realistic adult dialogue and a real flair for description make Patrick Neates novel well worth a look indeed!.