Jende Jonga is a Cameroonian living in the USA with his wife Neni and 6-year-old son Liomi. Jende lands himself a dream job as a chauffeur to a Lehman Brothers Executive Mr Clark Edwards. His wife Neni is a student while working as a home health aide. Soon, Jende earns the trust of both Mr & Mrs Edwards and Neni gets a job working as a housekeeper/nanny in the Edwards second home. The Jonga family have issues of their own. Jende is likely to be deported to his country Cameroon because his application for asylum has been denied. What’s more, the Lehman Brothers collapses, and the financial world is thrown into a deep crisis. The Jonga and Edward family go through a major change. The change shatters Jonga’s American dream while the Edwards family proves that what appears to be the surface isn’t as it seems.
I am shook that this is Mbue’s debut novel. Mbue craftsmanship of weaving the story of living abroad and the difficulty in chasing the so-called American dream must be applauded. For me, nothing in this novel about the Jonga family surprised me as I have heard similar or worse stories. Africans prefer to live outside Africa in search of greener pastures. For years, Africans chase their dreams and promise of success and wealth outside Africa. Mbue enlightens readers on immigrant experiences. I would really like to see this fast-paced, drama-packed novel turned into a movie.
The period of the book is set during the 2007/2008 economic crisis. Beginning in late 2007 and stretching to 2009. If achieving the American dream was difficult for Africans living in the US before this period, then the dream became nothing but a mere sandcastle during the financial crisis. Mbue presents two families in her novel. The Jonga family barely surviving and trying to cater for their family, send money back home and further Neni’s education. Their lives were threatened by the financial crisis. On the other hand, is the Edwards – powerful and privileged. I loved her Mbue intertwines the lives of both families and how they are affected by the financial crisis. It is easy for the reader to feel empathy for the Jonga family but I felt empathy for the Edwards as well.
Another thing I loved about the book is the exploration of Cameroonian culture and its people. The author Imbolo Mbue is a Cameroonian living in the US. Through this book, she gifts her readers pieces of her people, their lifestyle, and places in her country Cameroon. I was mesmerized by Jende’s description of Limbe – a beach town in Western Cameroon. Mbue’s focus on religion and funerals is very fascinating. Jende’s absence during his father’s funeral knowing very well that his role as the first-born son is pivotal yet he was stuck in a country that didn’t want him causing him to go through a stressed induced pain. Mbue goes ahead to highlight and appreciates some popular African foods such as Puff Puff and Jollof.
Behold the Dreamers highlights the struggles of immigrants. One of the biggest challenges is unemployment. My heart bled for Jende who was struggling to take care of his family, send money back home, help his wife further his education and save some money at the end of the day. The biggest struggle for him was to go back home to Cameroon as a failure. I hated Jende during the moments leading to his family’s return to Cameroon. How Jende treated his wife shows that the role of the African woman remains constant no matter the geographical location. The problem is the culture, not the place.
Quite honestly Mbue’s storytelling is beautiful and engrossing. I highly recommend this.
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