The novel recounts experiences of those attempting to migrate to Europe from Africa.
The unnamed male protagonist, originally from Nigeria, spends time in Berlin while his African American wife completes an art asignment. He is meant to be completing his thesis but increasingly becomes involved in meeting and listening to the stories of other Africans attempting to make a new life in Europe.
We therefore learn not only of the danger and challenges of making the trip from Africa to Europe plus the struggle of trying to make a new life in a new country very different from the one left behind, but also of the experiences in the home country causing the new arrivals to make the decision to leave.
The author provides the reader with a greater understanding of lives of new migrants and asylum seekers as they attempt to create a new existence in a strange land. The book is divided into six sections with each section telling a different story. There are often connections between the stories, usually provided by the narrator.
The characters in his novel are individuals coming from different parts of Africa and encountering different experiences. They also have different levels of command of English or other Europen languages. The book also illustrates horrific situations occurring in some countries forcing people to flee their homeland.
It would be hard for a reader not to be moved by the experiences faced by the characters in this book as it encourages them to reconsider their ideas about asylum seekers.
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