African Psycho

By: Alain Mabanckou

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Synopsis: Finalist for the Man Booker International Prize 2015&“The novel with which [Mabanckou] cemented his reputation as one of French-language fiction&’s leading lights . . . Black as pitch and bitter as wormwood, a razor-sharp satire in which the trials of a would-be serial killer are played for laughs.&” —Times Literary SupplementIts title recalls Bret Easton Ellis&’s infamous book, American Psycho. But while Ellis&’s narrator was a blank slate, the protagonist of African Psycho is a quivering mass of lies, neuroses, and relentless internal chatter. Gregoire Nakobomayo, a petty criminal, has decided to kill his girlfriend Germaine. He&’s been planning the crime for some time. But the act of murder requires a bit of psychological and logistical preparation. Luckily, he has a mentor to call on, the far more accomplished serial killer Angoualima. The fact that Angoualima is dead doesn&’t prevent Gregoire from holding lengthy conversations with him. Little by little, Gregoire interweaves Angoualima&’s life and criminal exploits with his own. Continuing with the plan despite a string of botched attempts and abject failures, Gregoire&’s final shot at offing Germaine leads to his abrupt unraveling. Lauded in France for its fresh and witty style, African Psycho&’s inventive use of language surprises and delights, relieving the reader through an injection of humor into a plainly disturbing subject.