by Rawi Hage
First published 2013
Fly cruises the streets in his cab, one of the wandering drivers who roam instead of waiting for calls. His unusual upbringing shaped him for this drifting life. His mother performed on the trapeze with golden hair flowing, while his father piloted flying carpets from the East under circus tents. Now Fly observes the city from behind his steering wheel. He picks up criminals and prostitutes, madmen and magicians, clowns of every variety. Some passengers are ordinary people heading to remarkable destinations. Others are revolutionaries attempting normal lives. The city suffers from hunger and injustice. Books offer the only real refuge from these harsh realities. When Carnival season arrives, boundaries disappear and chaos erupts. A gunshot rings out, shattering the fragile order. Fly continues driving through it all, watching the carnivalesque spectacle of beauty mixed with ugliness unfold around him.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, adventure, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, outsider-perspective
Setting: City
Period: Carnival Season
304 pages · Paperback · House of Anansi Press
Content warnings: violence