A fantastic new novel by Imraan Coovadia. This one creates an all-too-real fictional global culture of "taxi poets," focusing its story on Adam Ravens, a disciple of Solly Greenfields, one of the fathers of Cape Town taxi poetry--and also a murder victim in the opening pages. It is not a police procedural, but Adam does spend some of the book torn between Solly's discplined style and the more freewheeling, modern and global approach of Gerome Geromian, while exploring the causues of Solly's murder.

The novel functions on at least three levels. One is a fascinating groups of characters. Another is an altogether imagined culture of taxi drivers, sliding door men, and the "taxi poets" who write poems that decorate the sides of the taxis, and even have an institute to learn their craft. The third level is a commentary on the all-to-real culture of contemporary South Africa, including taxi companies that prevent competition by literally bombing buses and trains that are trying to establish new mass transit routes.

Funny, tragic, fascinating from beginning to end, highly recommended, and hope it's published in the United States soon. ( )

A fantastic new novel by Imraan Coovadia. This one creates an all-too-real fictional global culture of "taxi poets," focusing its story on Adam Ravens, a disciple of Solly Greenfields, one of the fathers of Cape Town taxi poetry--and also a murder victim in the opening pages. It is not a police procedural, but Adam does spend some of the book torn between Solly's discplined style and the more freewheeling, modern and global approach of Gerome Geromian, while exploring the causues of Solly's murder.

The novel functions on at least three levels. One is a fascinating groups of characters. Another is an altogether imagined culture of taxi drivers, sliding door men, and the "taxi poets" who write poems that decorate the sides of the taxis, and even have an institute to learn their craft. The third level is a commentary on the all-to-real culture of contemporary South Africa, including taxi companies that prevent competition by literally bombing buses and trains that are trying to establish new mass transit routes.

Funny, tragic, fascinating from beginning to end, highly recommended, and hope it's published in the United States soon. ( )