Bursting with local color, this hilarious, heart-warming coming-of-age tale follows two friends on a raucous journey across Cameroon as they grapple with grief, sexuality, and dreams of Europe.

After their father’s death, Jean’s older brother Roger decides he’s had enough of their mother and their city and leaves to try his luck with “boza”—crossing illegally into Europe—in the hope of becoming a soccer star abroad. Aiming to catch up with Roger before he reaches the Nigerian border, Jean enlists the help of the older Simon, a neighborhood friend, and the two set out on the road. The bus trip north nearly ends in disaster when, at a pit stop, Simon goes wandering in search of grilled caterpillars. At the police station in Yaounde, the local cop tells them that a feckless boza is not worth police effort and their mother should go and pleasure the police chief if she wants help!

Through a series of joyful, sparky vignettes, Cameroon life is revealed in all its ups and downs. Issues of life and death are raised, but Max Lobe recounts events with remarkable humor and levity. “Redolent with the sights, sounds, and smells of modern Cameroon, this is in fact a classic road trip, a Homeric quest in which our two young heroes may not discover what they were seeking but learn a great deal about themselves, each other, and the state of Africa. A jostling, poignant tale, it left me hungry for more.” —Michela Wrong, author Borderlines and It’s Our Turn to Eat
 
“[Max Lobe’s] eye is as compassionate as his characterizations are rich. I only wish this novel had been twice the length. You are in for a treat.” —Patrick Gale, author of Take Nothing With You