This reinforces my long-held view that Diop, a Senegalese writer, is a future Nobelist. The book was written in his native Wolof, translated to French, and this is a translation from the French. There is an extended, very helpful introduction explaining—among other things—that the French book and the Wolof book are in fact different. Intentionally so. Here, from Diop’s own website is the author’s description of the book:
“Diop relates Faye’s trauma of losing his only son, Assane Tall, which is compounded by his grandson Badou’s migration to an unknown destination. While Faye feels certain that his grandson will return one day, he also is convinced that he will no longer be alive by then. Faye spends his days sitting under a mango tree in the courtyard of his home, reminiscing and observing his surroundings. He speaks to Badou through his seven notebooks, six of which are revealed to the reader, while the seventh, the ‘Book of Secrets,’ is highly confidential and reserved for Badou’s eyes only. In the absence of letters from Badou, the notebooks form the only possible means of communication between the two, carrying within them tunes and repetitions that give this novel its unusual shape: loose and meandering on the one hand, coherent and tightly interwoven on the other.”
There is much that feels traditional, much that addresses the conflict between tradition and Western influences, more than a few echoes of orality, and much wisdom. ( )

Doomi Golo is written as a series of notebooks from the eccentric Nguirane Faye to his missing grandson Badou, who presumably will never see them. Nguirane Faye weaves together tales of his everyday life with myths and fables and a history - albeit fictionalized - of Senegal. The novel is unique in being a rare work of fiction originally written in Wolof, the language of Senegal's largest ethnic group, rather than the official language French. Boubacar Boris Diop also translated the novel into French from which this English translation was made. It would be interesting to learn what differences in nuance exists in the prose of the three versions. This is a good Around the World for a Good Book choice since it provides a good entry point into Senegalese life in culture. That being said it was also a challenging book and deserves a deep read. ( )