Open City
Teju Cole, 2011
Random House
272 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780812980097
Summary
A haunting novel about identity, dislocation, and history, Teju Cole’s Open City is a profound work by an important new author who has much to say about our country and our world.
Along the streets of Manhattan, a young Nigerian doctor named Julius wanders, reflecting on his relationships, his recent breakup with his girlfriend, his present, his past. He encounters people from different cultures and classes who will provide insight on his journey—which takes him to Brussels, to the Nigeria of his youth, and into the most unrecognizable facets of his own soul.
Open City was named a "Best Book" on more than 20 end-of-year lists. These include: New Yorker ♦ Atlantic ♦ Economist • Newsweek/Daily Beast ♦ New Republic • New York Daily News ♦ Los Angeles Times ♦ Boston Globe ♦ Seattle Times ♦ Minneapolis Star Tribune ♦ GQ • Salon ♦ Slate ♦ New York magazine ♦ The Week ♦ Kansas City Star ♦ Kirkus Reviews (From the publisher.)