REVIEWS
They say : “ If you can get some perspective , you see what a monumental achievement it is for him to have done this . It is a phenomenal achievement from Chris .”
Sir Chris Hoy
On La Toussuire , Froome went away from Wiggins , but was quickly told to come back to his leader . This ignominiously highlighted , not only the difference in class between Froome and Wiggins , but the ineptitude and unsuitability of Sky ’ s team orders .
“ I was coming to the conclusion that if you were riding out to battle through early-morning mists with your standards flying high , Sir Bradley Wiggins was a man you would want at your side ,” says Froome , “ Because after lunch he just might not be bothered .”
Wiggins won the Tour , Froome was labelled a super-domestique , but it wasn ’ t fair . Froome had been the stronger , the fitter , the better . And he had lost because the team wasn ’ t built around him .
Froome ’ s worth was proved later on though – when he took the 2013 Tour with an impeccable ride . His mountain top annihilation of the opposition on the infamous Mount Ventoux will go down in cycling folklore . It was presage of things to come .
In 2015 he became the first Briton to win the Tour twice , when winning his second Yellow Jersey , despite the protestations of a small section of cycling fans - and the media . The Press continued to plague his victories with unfounded accusations of doping .
Froome ’ s defiant coda was : “ You think I ’ m guilty . Can you prove it ? No ! I know I ’ m clean . Can I prove it ? No ! You heard it all before from Lance Armstrong . Well , I ’ m not Lance Armstrong . You won ’ t get fooled again ! Not by me you won ’ t , ever .”
On winning the Tour in 2013 Froome said : “ This is one Yellow Jersey that will stand the test of time .” And so will his dedication , resilience and bravery .
As a kid Chris Froome rode through the Kenyan bush joyfully as a carefree spirit . Cometh the hour , cometh the hero . In his third age , he rode to become a Yellow Jersey man . n
Blackass
By A . Igoni Barrett Chatto & Windus ( 2015 ) & Graywolf Press ( 2016 )
By Tomi Olugbemi A white man roves through the systemised chaos of Mainland Lagos as he hurries to a Monday morning interview . He is met by gaping children and beggars , as well as suspicious roadside hawkers and other victims of Lagos traffic .
He carries the name and identity of a Kalabari Nigerian man but his skin says otherwise . His nipples – barely visible through a sweat-soaked shirt – are pink , eyes green and his hair is red . He scampers on foot for an interview but he is not who he was yesterday . He is no longer black . This is how Igoni Barrett introduces Blackass to the reader .
Furo Wariboko , 33 years old , awakens to a shocking image in the mirror . He spends the next few days dodging his own reflection . His new physical identity brings him new employment , solicitation from a prostitute , and an almost-did-not-happen venereal intercourse with a woman he barely knows . He is living vicariously , another version of himself .
“ A white man in Lagos has no voice louder than the dollar sign branded on his forehead ,” is a statement that aptly describes why non-blacks in Lagos – especially expatriates – are often afforded the red carpet respect of having a fat pocket .
Blackass deliberates on race and culture without preaching a social or political message . These issues are subservient to the story , race one of many seasonings in the soup in which the protagonist finds himself .
The writer , when not repetitive with metaphor and anecdote about the hustle and bustle , of Lagos , writes in easily ingested prose that appeases the imagination also of non-Nigerians , and even non-Africans . His style allows for humour without losing the essence of the basic premise . Igoni Barrett utilises his actual twitter handle to sway the reader from reading fiction to something autobiographical , in a way that is pleasantly confusing . His use of Nigerian pidgin reflects a fundamental component of communication in Lagos .
Furo ’ s new skin tone takes him around the Lagos he knows – the muddiness , abject poverty , of the countless gated communities , the sublime affluence of Island Lagos .
And through the dauntless bribery of government officials , cheeriness and craziness of civilians , day and night . While the book premises on Furo ’ s race change , it ’ s a more subtle ode to Lagos .
Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbo Harvill Secker , 2015
By Caspian Challis The internationally acclaimed thriller writer takes us on a dark journey through the underbelly of Norwegian noir . But his latest is nothing like his Harry Hole series .
Set in the capital Oslo , this dark , twisted thriller is seen through the eyes of an average , all-round regular guy Olav , a “ fixer ” for a powerful crime boss .
The “ fixing ” that is Olav ’ s speciality is killing to order , but he finds the life of a hit man can be complicated when personal feelings intrude .
The book ’ s unique feature is its sympathetic protagonist . Most anti-heroes will be dark , broody , “ cool ” characters with a badass origin story . You know the kind ; your Rorschachs from Watchmen , Agent 47s in the Hitman series .
Olav is a much more ambiguous character . Clearly intelligent who after failing as a pimp , falls in with sex and heroin kingpin Daniel Hoffman . Could anyone become a hired killer ? Nesbo shows you don ’ t need a cool back-story or have a mental problem , to kill . Any guy in the street could be the killer in the shadows .
This is a clinical look into the psyche of people who can live with themselves while committing such atrocities . A true meditation on the existential counterpoint between life and death .
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