A Long Way from Douala

Bursting with local color, this hilarious, heart-warming coming-of-age tale follows two friends on a raucous journey across Cameroon as they grapple with grief, sexuality, and dreams of Europe. After their father's death, Jean's older brother Roger decides he's had enough of their mother and their city and leaves to try his luck with boza"-crossing illegally into Europe-in the hope of becoming a soccer star abroad. Aiming to catch up with Roger before he reaches the Nigerian border, Jean enlists the help of the older Simon, a neighborhood friend, and the two set out on the road. The bus trip north nearly ends in disaster when, at a pit stop, Simon goes wandering in search of grilled caterpillars. At the police station in Yaounde, the local cop tells them that a feckless boza is not worth police effort and their mother should go and pleasure the police chief if she wants help! Through a series of joyful, sparky vignettes, Cameroon life is revealed in all its ups and downs. Issues of life and death are raised, but Max Lobe recounts events with remarkable humor and levity"--