Synopses & Reviews
Sardonic, subtle, and sweetly scathing, Little Boys Come from the Stars is satire at its best. Set in an unnamed country in equatorial Africa, it tells the story of Michel, a precocious teen dubbed Matapari (“trouble”) because of his extraordinary birth. Though his father is a reclusive scholar, his mother a pious though confused Catholic, and his uncle a shameless opportunist determined to gain power in the shifting politics of their post-colonial nation, Matapari remains an unsullied child who wears Reeboks, drinks Coke, reads Japanese comics, and watches Rambo. But when his family becomes the nucleus of the revolution for democracy, Matapari proves to be the ideal narrator for this story of violent upheaval and bloody corruption-a voice whose ironic innocence makes bearable and even humorous the awful realities of the world it describes.
Synopsis
With masterful craftsmanship and a sweetly scathing tone, award-winning Congolese novelist Emmanuel Dongala has fashioned this touching yet profound post-colonial satire.
Little Boys Come from the Stars is the story of a turbulent African nation seen through the eyes of a precocious teen dubbed Matapari (“trouble”). Though his father is a reclusive scholar, his mother a confused Catholic, and his uncle a shameless opportunist, Matapari is a regular kid who wears Reeboks, drinks Coke, and reads Japanese comics. But when his family becomes the center of the revolution, Matapari emerges as the ideal narrator–an ironically innocent voice that makes bearable and even humorous the realities it describes.
About the Author
Emmanuel Dongala was dean of Brazzaville University in the Congo Republic until he fled the countrys civil war in 1997. He lives in western Massachusetts and teaches at Simons Rock of Bard College.