Tail of the Blue Bird
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Review
Here is a delightful book that combines the basic tug of the whodunnit with the more elegant pleasures of the literary novel. Like the best detective stories, it has a questing hero, and a vivid sense of locale. Kayo Odamtten is a young Ghanaian returned home after studying in the UK. He is happy enough working as a forensic pathologist in Accra. But when a strange crime is discovered in a remote forest village - by the horrified girlfriend of the Transport Minister, no less - Kayo is dragged into the investigation by corrupt police Inspector PJ Donker, whose idea of recruitment is the threat of imprisonment on conspiracy charges.
Insp Donker sends Kayo off with the warning, "Don't return until you have a good scientific theory and report - CSI-style." Kayo finds the "evil" evidence: unidentified fleshy remains, crawling with maggots, in the corner of a hut belonging to a cocoa farmer who hasn't been seen for a month. He does his CSI best - taking samples for DNA testing, using hi-tech "blue merge" goggles to spot patches of urine on the floor, creating a digital model of the crime scene on his laptop. More importantly, he listens to the locals, especially the old hunter Opanyin Poku.
The hunter shares some of the book's narrative, giving Kayo clues in the form of rambling tales of village history as they sit around drinking palm wine laced with the medicine man's own potions. Kayo may be "caught in a void between instinct and knowledge", but his courtesy and respect for non-Western wisdom mean that there is no real danger of his not getting to the bottom of the mystery.
Tail of the Blue Bird is not overly ambitious, but everything it sets out to do, it does admirably. Nii Ayikwei Parkes surely knows the effect the Ghanaian dialogue will have; he doesn't translate or explain, and this additional layer of mystery (for the average British reader) only adds to the strength of its lyricism and insight.
Reviewed by Jonathan Gibbs --The Independant --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
An African whodunit that alludes to the troublesome relationship that lies between the modernity and custom ... Parkes has managed to write fabulously poetic and fresh prose that is both vernacular and contemporary.
Deftly executed --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Deftly executed --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a real gem. The story follows an investigation into the truth behind mysterious human remains found in the Ghanaian village of Sonokrom. Kayo, a Western-educated forensic scientist, meets Opanyin Poku, an old hunter in the village. Through their interchanging narratives we learn more about the tragic incidents that have led to the existence of these remains. The explanation is not one that can be arrived at through logic. It is one that requires Kayo - and the reader - to be immersed in the atmosphere of the village and accept that it has its own ways of dealing with crime. The writing is as beautiful and unexpected as the story. The rhythm of it lulled me into another way of thinking, just as the palm wine lulls the characters into seeing things in new ways. Ultimately we are shown that justice can come about through storytelling. Whatever wrongs people do to each other, it is the stories around them that live on to teach us - and those stories can be as rich and fantastical as they like.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you fancy a crime fiction with surprising ending - do not hesitate and start reading this book. It has even quite surprising and very original beginning. On top of everything which is going on in the story, you get an interesting insight into Ghanaian traditions. But be warned - once you start reading, it is difficult to stop and do other things (this was the only "problem" I had to deal with regarding this book :-).
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I just finished reading "Tail of the Blue Bird" and have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a tale that ends all too soon, but what a story it packs in its 170 pages; this book is a page turner. The writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes, has managed to deftly weave a modern who dune it crime novel with a tale of African culture, mythology and folklore. His pen and storytelling ability is set forth with confidence; his knowledge of the local customs and land can be felt even if the reader is not familiar with the local terrain. The use of local vernacular to carry the story forward along with the English language is an interesting device which immediately transports the reader to the indigenous local of the tale. This book is a superb first effort by the author which I strongly recommend. I look forward to his next novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointment
I bought this book based on the excellent reviews here on Amazon and I am thoroughly disappointed. First of all, the book is replete with Ghanian words and at times even the... Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2009 by Miran Ali
Lovely Tale Set In Rural Ghana - Magic and Realism
Nii Ayikwei Parkes's Tail of the Blue Bird has lengths of conversation in the pidgin of Ghana with little more than context to help the reader to decipher it. Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2009 by Feanor
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