Every Day Is for the Thief
Teju Cole
[Faber & Faber]
Every Day Is for the Thief is a quietly confrontational novella, whose remarkably visual style and elliptical episodic structure suggest unspoken conflicts behind the lens. The unnamed narrator, reasonably conflatable with author Teju Cole, returns to his home city of Lagos to self-consciously survey the changes the city has undergone since his departure for New York 15 years earlier, and to reassess his own troubled relationship with the city. Systemic corruption, the constant potential for violence and woefully inadequate resources blight Nigeria, but the narrator’s passionate disappointment is occasionally relieved by redemptive flashes of light and colour in the city’s daily events – “Life hangs out here.” As a testimonial, this short novel is engaging and informative.
There is little in the way of character development or narrative shape, however, which makes the reading experience feel superficial. Cole’s preference for the position of the observer over that of the participant keeps the narrator, and the reader, at a remove from familial, societal, and national dramas. The references to literature and the arts reflect a perceived disconnect between writing and reality; perhaps Cole is (justly) wary of “thinking of life as stories.” The act of returning itself is inevitably fraught, but Cole stops short of fully exploring this experience. The action is always external; it feels like it’s on mute.
Words: Anna-Grace Scullion
