Astonishing The Gods

Astonishing the Gods by Ben Okri is not for the habitually cynical. Nor, even if you're not a habitual cynic, is it the kind of book that should be read on a day when the real world is likely to intrude. This book oozes escapism. But it isn't easy or simple to digest.

So, to avoid irritation, do not try

 to read this short but intense novel on your way to work or at times when you might have to stop to answer telephone calls or cope with domestic or other practicalities. Also, avoid it like the plague if you are hooked on straightforward linear narratives or if you're the sort of person who can only identify with trees that are trees and buildings that don't dissolve into thin air.

 

Apologies for appearing to labor this point about who should read Okri and about when and how he should be read. But he has been so harshly criticized by the impatiently earthbound that the point cannot be made strongly enough. If you aren't capable of -or in the mood for - locking yourself away for a few hours and allowing your mind to drift in a dreamlike state down magical, mythical avenues, you’d be best to settle for a book with a 'normal’ plot, tangible landscapes and effortlessly understandable characters.