My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' is a surreal novel by Nigerian novelist Amos Tutuola written in the 1950's. It is the story of a seven year old child who flees from armed conflict into the bush and what follows is a couple of hundred pages of surreal and imaginative encounters with ghosts in the bush. There isn't a story as such, rather it is the stitching together of various bizarre encounters of a boy finding his way home.

The writing style isn't engaging at all. It is written in a series of run on sentences as described in a matter of fact way by a child as if telling a story. It's interesting as a device, but I found myself skimming much of the book, realising I wasn't captivated by the author's imagination or caring about what happens.

There appears to be an intersection of Yoruba folklore, Christianity, colonialism and Nigerian culture. Time is ambiguous in the novel, where decades can pass in a sentence. If I knew more of the context of writing I suspect readers in Nigeria in the fifties could see many allegories to the past and present.

Other reviews will capture some of the surrealism in here, but the writing is in this style (not an actual excerpt) 'one day I turned into a snake and I was captured by a giant who lived in a hole in the ground who was an unhappy ghost because the snake queen once was married to him....' I just wasn't feeling it.

In terms of content - there are depictions of slavery, animal abuse, child abuse and bodily fluids. Not too strong but could be distressing to some.