Memoirs of a Porcupine

In this darkly funny tale by Congolese author Alain Mabanckou, a very unusual porcupine tells the sinister story of his life. This highly literate animal was the 'harmful double' of man called Kibandi, whose father passed on his powers by making him drink a potion called Mayamvumbi.

Drawn away from the safety of his porcupine community by the power of black magic, the porcupine became an assassin, carrying out almost 100 murders at his master's command. Anyone who owed Kibandi money, laughed at him or rejected him would find themselves stabbed through the heart with a spine from his murderous sidekick.

Now the porcupine tells his sad story to a Baobab tree after the death of Kibandi. Despite escaping the suspicions of local sorcerers, Kibandi's downfall comes after killing an innocent baby: a death that finally came back to haunt him. While the porcupine laments the crimes he has committed, he sees himself as a helpless puppet controlled by his evil master, never blaming himself for the 100 murders he committed.

In Memoirs of a Porcupine, oral story telling and African traditions mix with European literary references to create a highly imaginative, dark and funny meditation on human spite and the nature of guilt.