Open City

Along the streets of Manhattan, a young Nigerian doctor doing his residency wanders aimlessly, reflecting on his relationships, his recent breakup with his girlfriend, his present, his past. Though he is navigating the busy parts of town, the impression of countless faces does nothing to assuage his feelings of isolation. But it is not only a physical landscape he covers; Julius crisscrosses social territory as well, encountering people from different cultures and classes who will provide insight on his journey — which takes him to Brussels, to the Nigeria of his youth, and into the most unrecognizable facets of his own soul.

A New York Times Notable Book One of the ten top novels of the year Time and NPR

NAMED A BEST BOOK ON MORE THAN TWENTY END-OF-THE-YEAR LISTS, INCLUDING The New Yorker The Atlantic The Economist Newsweek/The Daily Beast The New Republic New York Daily News Los Angeles Times The Boston Globe The Seattle Times Minneapolis Star Tribune GQ Salon Slate New York magazine The Week The Kansas City Star Kirkus Reviews
A haunting novel about identity, dislocation, and history, Teju Cole s Open City is a profound work by an important new author who has much to say about our country and our world.
Along the streets of Manhattan, a young Nigerian doctor named Julius wanders, reflecting on his relationships, his recent breakup with his girlfriend, his present, his past. He encounters people from different cultures and classes who will provide insight on his journey which takes him to Brussels, to the Nigeria of his youth, and into the most unrecognizable facets of his own soul.
A] prismatic debut . . . beautiful, subtle, and] original. The New Yorker
A psychological hand grenade. The Atlantic
Magnificent . . . a remarkably resonant feat of prose. The Seattle Times
A precise and poetic meditation on love, race, identity, friendship, memory, and] dislocation. The Economist