The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi - (Vintage International) by Arthur Japin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"The first ten years of my life I was not black." Thus begins this startlingly eloquent and beautiful tale based on the true story of Kwasi Boachi, a 19th- century African prince who was sent with his cousin, Kwame, to be raised in Holland as a guest of the royal family. Narrated by Kwasi himself, the story movingly portrays the perplexing dichotomy of the cousins' situation: black men of royal ancestry, they are subject to insidious bigotry even as they enjoy status among Europe's highest echelons. As their lives wind down different paths-Kwame back to Africa where he enlists in the Dutch army, Kwasi to an Indonesian coffee plantation where success remains mysteriously elusive-they become aware of a terrible truth that lies at the heart of their experiences. Vivid, subtle, poignant and profound, The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi is an exquisite masterpiece of story and craft, a heartrending work that places Arthur Japin on a shelf that includes Joseph Conrad, J.M. Coetzee, Kazuo Ishiguro and Nadine Gordimer.

Review Quotes

"[F]ascinatingly ambitious . . . . [A] haunting and highly unusual historical novel." --The New York Times

"A classic tragedy . . . . This is a true story, fully and humanly imagined, and that is the measure of Japin's accomplishment." --San Francisco Chronicle

"A virtuoso recreation of an extraordinary life." --London Daily Telegraph

"A mesmerizing tale." --Time Out New York

"Deeply thought and intricately worked . . . . The whole is as seamless in its artistry as it is moving in its emotional investigations." --Times Literary Supplement

"[A] powerful story . . . . a fascinating study of how people deal with difference" --Financial Times

"[A] tour de force . . . be prepared for surprises on every page." --The Dallas Morning News

"[R]ich and risky . . . . A deeply humane book, a spectacularly exotic subject." --New York Times Book Review

"[Q]uietly devastating . . . . [T]akes a subject that by now may look stale . . . and gives it back its rich and tragic color." --New York Magazine

"Gorgeous . . . . [A] work that affirms the human heart's resilience even as it reveals its darkest prejudice." --Newsday