As a Cameroonian, it was easy for me to relate to the story. My biggest problem with this book is that I feel it wasn't a closed chapter. I was left wanting to know more about the fate of Josef Nana Njike's surviving children and grandchildren after they escaped from Cameroon. The Njike descendants could technically carry on for eternity. Did they return to Cameroon after the bloody insurrection or after multi-party democracy was introduced in 1990? I was also intrigued by the fact that the author used the German spelling of Kamerun throughout the story. The broad setting was difficult to grasp and the fact that the plot spanned three generations made it all the more difficult for any reader with a short attention span. But overall a hugely entertaining read and one of my favorite African novels.