Originally written in 1993, apparently springing almost full-blown from his head, this early work of Okri's is a fable in which a man who has always felt himself to be invisible endeavours to get to where the real people are, i.e.
those who get written about in history books. He winds up on an island where, ironically enough, everyone is invisible to him, and is ushered on a spiritual journey by guides who want him to understand that every experience and act of suffering must be repeated over and over again until we finally experience it fully. All the same, one longs for genuinely fresh insight, and Okri's use of imagery like rainbows, unicorns and fauns contribute to a feeling that it's more like a pastiche of classic spiritual allegories than the kind of original work that could stand alongside them. The invisibility theme, however, is a good one, for the multiple associations it carries, especially for an African writer.
Aye Write, April 25
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