Tom MacWright

2025@macwright.com

I read Every Day Is For The Thief by Teju Cole on

Review

I really loved this book. It's short enough to be called a novella by some sources - my paperback edition was 162 pages. I could read it slowly and try to absorb every sentence, and it had a lot to offer. It's quietly beautiful writing: at no point did I feel like Cole was being ornamental or trying to impress. But I came away really impressed, both at the beautiful descriptions of Lagos and the humanity of the interactions. The dialog and emotions all felt really real.

It's a novel, but spends a lot of time on the location of Lagos, Nigeria - the country's corruption, terrain, and social habits. This too felt so genuine because it's a depiction of conflicted love of a deeply flawed place that nevertheless holds emotional power and has a strong internal coherence.

Excited to read Open City from the same author - this was really great writing.

Details

  • Every Day Is For The Thief by
  • ISBN: 978-0-8129-8585-6
  • Published:
  • Publisher: Random House