Recap: Open City by Teju Cole

We had a small group meet up at Alewife today for the discussion of Open City by Teju Cole. We had a very rich discussion about the book, characters, and literary devices that Cole employs (as well as delicious food & beer!).



Please note that this post may include spoilers, and please be aware of that as you continue to read.

Open City definitely disarmed the group of us, as it is a much "heavier" read than one would expect for 259 pages. The book is written from the perspective of Julian, the main character, and is made up of mostly inner dialogue. The outside dialogue and interaction that does take place is written as Julian perceives it, and therefore prompts the question of the credibility of these stories. Historically, during wartime, an open city was one that, instead of fighting and defending themselves, laid their weapons down and conceded to occupation in order to avoid further violence and bombing. The idea of an open city (in this historical sense, and even in the literal definition of the words), provides an apt notion for what is to come in the novel.

Stephanie made a great point in the beginning of our discussion that most people in our society are reading for a linear storyline, which this novel doesn't provide upfront. This book is more of a read for "aimless wandering." Once the reader feels this, the book is a much more welcoming read. The writing is also something to overcome. The writing itself is beautiful and poetic. There are many instances, as Sadie pointed out, that the language can pull you in ("I lay in bed, too tired to release myself from wakefulness," p. 6). However, as the character progresses throughout the novel, the reader feels pushed away because of the overwhelming pretension, whether or not it is intended that way by Cole.

Julian is a character that the readers feel both an affinity for, and disgusted by (and everything in between).  Julian, a Nigerian psychiatrist living in New York City, seems to be depressed and socially removed. Stephanie pointed out that it doesn't seem like he participates in his own life. This is shown numerous times throughout the novel, both during a positive experience that he seems to turn sour, and bad experiences that he dissociates from. In the beginning of the novel, Julian is depressed and wandering--literally throughout NYC and figuratively through his own life--to find out where he fits in. As the book progresses, so does apathy toward Julius. He becomes increasingly audacious and, as Rebecca notes, speaks so highly of his own intellect that he alienates the reader.

As the story progresses, Julian becomes less credible, and we learn that he hasn't always been as popular or heroic as he would like us to think. When we learn about the sexual assault on Moji, there was a lot of confusion and anger from the book club. Some of us were trying to understand why he acted (and years later, reacted) in the ways that he did, and some of us were very much upset with him. Our overall perception and feeling of the main character really seemed to shape the way that we feel about the book in general. This begs the question of whether there is any distance between the main character and the author. This is a fictional piece, but because it was written in first-person, it is difficult to differentiate.

The theme of being an "other," as well as maintaining space -- even if this means isolation -- came up a lot in our talk. Julian is an outsider in all aspects of his life: in New York, as an African, and as an intellectual. His vocabulary choices and allusions almost force the reader to treat him as an outsider as well. This suggests that  the isolation is Julian's doing (whether consciously or unconsciously). Julian sums it up the best: "the stranger remains strange."

Thank you to all who made it out to the meeting this month, and I look forward to next month (stay tuned for upcoming blog post about July). You are all welcome to post and react on your own to the book. I'd love to keep the conversation moving online as well. Cheers!