Really a 3.5 star review, I rounded this review up as it’s an important subject matter at the moment, particularly to Americans (after their choice for President) but also in Ireland and Europe.

To begin with, I must explain that I am a child of legal immigrants in Australia, who ultimately decided that the lifestyle in their homeland Ireland was better than the Australian lifestyle on offer and so sold up and returned after 8 years. So I grew up with the ongoing debate of which is better money and large houses or family and education (the free education system was better then in Ireland than in Oz). So I understood that in Behold the Dreamers, no matter what their initial excitement at being in the US, one or other of the characters were always going to question which is best, the American dream of the pursuit of money, status and the big houses or home, family and culture. Every immigrant asks these questions on a regular basis for the rest of their lives no matter what their decisions are on the way. So this question must always be central to any story on immigration, which it is in this book.

I also know an Irish woman who married an illegal Nigerian immigrant to Ireland. So I am aware of the fear they lived with not knowing until last minute that he would be allowed to stay in Ireland or deported. He eventually not only got his working permit and right of residency but eventually got Irish citizenship, in this true story. I will not spoil what happened in Behold the Dreamers but I think it’s really an important subject matter particularly for those in the USA at the moment. This is where the power of stories is important as for those unfamiliar with what it is like to live with uncertain immigration statuses can get a glimpse into that world. People in the US should really take this into account in the near future.


So leaving the theme of immigration aside what is enjoyable in the book.

The story is set during the Economic Crisis of 2007/8 and I read for the first time the effects it has not just on the wealthy bankers (the Edwards family) but on all those that depend on them Jende Jonga and his family, Cameroonian immigrants who work for the Edwards. The Economic Crisis blows a crack in the American Dream and its impact on the legal and not quite legal immigrants is well drawn. We also see the pressures on the married life of the wealthier Edwards. The disillusionment with the pursuit of money for its own sake and the importance of family thus become central themes in the book.

Personal highlights are the descriptions of Cameroonian Food. This book made me hungry on several occasions and I absolutely must try Puff Puff for breakfast or anytime really. I liked the descriptions of Limbe and would have liked more. I loved the different descriptions of the people in the various neighbourhoods of New York, I really felt the city came to life for me in this book.

The narrative is very plain and bit slow at the beginning of the story but picks up pace when the Financial collapse happens. As with many stories it's how the characters deal with a crisis that is most interesting. Neni in particular shows that she is one determined lady and will go to whatever legnths are needed to protect her family.

While I liked the characters, I think I needed more in-depth characterisation to really connect to them. This is probably due to writers such as Colm Tobín, JK Rowling, Charles Dickens etc. Who make me very exacting in this area. However, overall it is an enjoyable read.