Open City (novel)

Open City
First edition
AuthorTeju Cole
GenreNovel
PublisherRandom House
Publication date
2011

Open City is a 2011 novel by Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole. The novel is primarily set in New York City,[1] and concerns a Nigerian immigrant, Julius, who has recently broken up with his girlfriend.[2] The novel received praise for its prose and depiction of New York.[3][4]

It was included on several end of year lists of the best books published in 2011.[5][6]

Plot

Julius, a man completing the last year of a psychiatry fellowship, wanders the streets of New York City, travels to Brussels, and meets a variety of people over the course of a year.

Structure

The novel has no substantial plot, and instead relies on Julius' insights and "peregrinations" through New York City and the broader world to drive the book.

The book's structure and composition has been compared to the work of W.G. Sebald, and although Open City has "nominally separate" chapters, its lack of punctuation gives it the "atmosphere of a text written in a single, unbroken paragraph".[7] The style has been compared to the structure of a diary.[7]

Reception

Critics were mostly positive in their reviews of the novel. According to Book Marks, based mostly on American publications, the book received "rave" reviews based on nineteen critic reviews with eleven being "rave" and eight being "positive".[8] On Bookmarks July/August 2011 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (3.5 out of 5) based on critic reviews with the critical summary stating, "Most critics found Cole's debut to be wise, honest, and illuminating, but they also acknowledged it is not for everyone".[9]

Michiko Kakutani, writing for The New York Times, compared the work to those of W.G. Sebald and said that Cole's failure to "dramatize his alienation  ... underscored the ... ad hoc nature of the overall narrative.[1]

In The New Yorker, James Wood praised Cole's inclusion of critical theory as neither a satirical undermining of the academic field or a "[flourish] to exhibit the author's credentials".[7]

The novel was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Kakutani, Michiko (18 May 2011). "Roaming the Streets, Taking Surreal Turns". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  2. ^ Syjuco, Miguel (25 February 2011). "These Crowded Streets". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  3. ^ Foden, Giles (17 August 2011). "Open City by Teju Cole – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  4. ^ Antrim, Taylor (2011-02-07). "Open City by Teju Cole: Review". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  5. ^ Corrigan, Maureen (20 November 2011). "Year-End Wrap-Up: The 10 Best Novels Of 2011". NPR. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  6. ^ Karlin, Lily (19 December 2011). "A Year's Reading". The New Yorker. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Wood, James (28 February 2011). "The Arrival of Enigmas: Teju Cole's prismatic début novel, "Open City."". The New Yorker. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Open City". Book Marks. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Open City: A Novel By Teju Cole". Bookmarks. Archived from the original on 13 Sep 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  10. ^ "National Book Critics Award Finalists". National Book Critics. Retrieved 16 February 2022.