Children of the Revolution

Item: Children of the Revolution
Author: WhichBook

Dinaw Mengestu

Three lonely Africans cling together as exiles in a foreign land, always aliens and unable to break with their native country's violent past. The arrival of a newcomer to Sepha's rundown Washington suburb hints at the possibility of a new beginning.

Sepha is an engaging, quiet and gentle hero. The city of Washington, the beauty and the squalor, is well drawn. A poignant exploration of what is means to be an exile.

Extract

There is something unsettling about spring in D.C., a cautionary tale of overindulgence and inflated expectations that seem embedded in the grass and in the trees. I thought I had long since learned to keep those expections in check, but it happens anyway, doesn't it? We forget who we are and where we came from, and in doing so, believe we are entitled to much more than we deserve.

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