Reviews

▫️GRANMA NINETEEN AND THE SOVIET'S SECRET by Ondjaki, translated from the Portuguese by Stephen Henighan, 2008/2014.

1980s Luanda, Angola // a fictional child's view of war and displacement, of adventure and humour amidst tragedy. Angola's Civil War is the back drop here, but the focus of this story is not at the front, rather its hyper-local, what is happening in their neighborhood - with a blend of characters (from Angolans, plus USSR, Cuba, Portugal ) that show the culture and blend of Angola at this time.

The unnamed narrator is a young boy who lives with his grandmother in a seaside neighborhood. Their area is the chosen location for a gargantuan mausoleum, built by the Soviet military, to house the remains of Angola's first president, Agostinho Neto.

The looming futurist / phallic mausoleum PLUS the planned displacement of their homes hatches a saboteur plot (no spoilers - this is the very first page of the book!) The narrative turns into an 80s/90s childhood adventure story, e.g. The Goonies, Red Dawn, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

Funny nicknames, silly plots and situations... yet this understanding of what is happening to both the neighborhood and the country at this time as multinational powers slice and dice, and try to take their piece of a country and people that have been depleted for centuries through colonialism and war.

Just like the young narrator of GRANMA, writer Ndalu de Almeida (pen name Ondjaki) was raised in the Angolan capital during the country's protracted Civil War. He has several books in Portuguese and three books and multiple stories available in English translation. His most noted title is Os Transparentes / Transparent City - eager to read that one at some point.