Great African Reads discussion

This thread is for discussions of our Mar/Apr 2021 read of Memory in the Flesh also known as The Bridges of Constantine by Ahlam Mosteghanemi - Notice that there may be SPOILERS (Find the no-spoiler thread here)

- Feel free to discuss anything you like about the book here: Here's a few questions to get you started:

How did you like the characters? The plot? The style? The portrayal of characters and their surroundings?

I finished this over the weekend and it is not at all what I had expected. It's written in the first person which provides you with great insight into the main character, but limited understanding of the motives of everybody else. The style is lyrical with the city of Constantine and its bridges acting as a metaphor both for the woman central to the love affair and the main character's exile from his homeland.

Some of the corruption by the elite following independence are very familiar.

It is not a book to read in a rush, and I enjoyed it once I got used to the tone and pace.