A fascinating book for those who - just like Lily - love
coffee and culture. It is a blend of the American dream, the history of coffee
and a good dash of Yemen.
Having visited Yemen back in the day, I remain interested in
this beautiful and tragical country.
Mokha, a port in Yemen, once was the center of the global coffee trade and has given its name to a top quality coffee bean.
Mokhtar is an aimless underprivileged youngster who becomes
a successful businessman (while it lasts). He is described vividly enough to get
annoyed over his stupid decisions. Along the way countless interesting facts
about growing, harvesting and roasting coffee come along.
In order not to disturb the happy ending, the developments
of the war in Yemen are not mentioned. The USA's very dubious role in this is conveniently
left out.
Dave Eggers strength is content and storyline over his prose
power and that's why it's okay to read the translated Dutch edition. Maybe it
reads even better than the real thing.
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