PositiveThe IndependentA General Theory Of Oblivion begins on the eve of Angolan independence and tells the story of Ludo, an exiled Portuguese who, alarmed by events, bricks herself into her apartment and stays there till it's all over, 28 years later … Angola's civil war became a proxy for various global conflicts and A General Theory Of Oblivion provides occasional primers...thus the uninitiated can keep track of events, even learn a bit of history, as they read. Ludo, on the other hand, becomes ever less aware: the batteries in her radio fail and she must make her own sense of the incidents she sees in the street … Agualusa has many a good story here: the 37 chapters work as standalone shorts, while intertwining and coming together at the end.
