I was taken by the title of this book, “Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field,” and it kind of reminded me of the feeling of staying true to your roots, so I requested to read it on Netgalley and let’s just say that there are eighteen (18) stories to take you on a trip full of laughter, moments of reflection and most of all, keep you entertained.

My favorite stories include: ‘Why Aunt Lourdes still has no teeth,’ in which she is displeased that there seems to be a lot of unnecessary services but not a dentist in Jamba. Then immediately after there is the story ‘Sheesh’ that up to date, as I write this review we are still waiting to know the whereabouts of Mister X.

For someone who loves to travel, and has an ultimate list then reading ‘The Secret’ and being met with the opening line “This story happened in Haifa. I have never been to Haifa, but I’ve always wanted to write a story that takes place in the city. Likewise, I will not die without writing a story located in Mexico City, in Venice…”

Of changing times and the yearning for moments of reflection as a society, the author has quite some time for this with ‘Three Endings.’ The writing style is something that also caught my attention, it reminded me of the kind of stories you could be told whilst in the company of a long lost friend, there’s accounts of experiences here and there-some you laugh at, others you sigh, others you just nod and look away afraid that whatever you say would not do it justice. All in all, it was a pleasure reading this book.

Rating (Netgalley and Goodreads): 4 stars

Pre-order on Amazon: Paperback at $23

About the author: João Melo, born in Luanda, is an author, journalist, and professor. He studied in Coimbra, Luanda, and Rio de Janeiro. He is a founder of the Angolan Writer´s Association. He was a member of the parliament (1992-2017) and a minister of Angola (2017-2019). His works have been published in Angola, Portugal, Brazil, Italy and Cuba. A number of his writings have been translated into English, French, German, Arabic, and Chinese. He was awarded the 2009 Angola Arts and Culture National Prize in literature.