Teju Cole: Exploring Art, History, and Reluctant Cosmopolitanism

Teju Cole's latest novel, Tremor, is a weaker book compared to his debut, Open City, as it trades the complex characters for moral self-regard and po-faced lectures. The protagonist, Tunde, explores themes of racism and identity as he rambles through time and space, but the book lacks the ambivalence and lyricism that made Open City so compelling. Cole's evolution towards a more politically unobjectionable narrative may have hindered the book's ability to engage readers, as it becomes closed off and laborious. Despite this, Cole's skill in weaving together discussions of art and history is evident, but the reliance on pastiches and mimicry suggests a crisis of confidence in the central character.