Book Review Example: Teju Cole's Every Day Is for the Thief

Every day for the Thief by Teju Cole gives a vivid description of what life in the third world country is like. The struggles that the characters in the book face are similar to the ones in the real day-to-day life of people in this country. Teju portrays the country Nigeria to the word as a person who is part of the country customs but has also visited other developed nations and therefore his view is that of comparing and contrasting. The narrator of the story who has had an opportunity to stay in other countries does not immediately pre empties the events that are about to happen he, therefore, maintains a neutral position. This allows the reader to be able to judge the situations for themselves without the influence of the narrators. In this essay, we shall discuss the theme of Theft as told by Teju Cole.

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From the title of the story, it is clear that the author addresses the theme of theft. In the story, theft has been portrayed as taking something that does not belong to you with or without the knowledge of the owner. According to the story, one can be stolen from with their full knowledge, and that does not guarantee immediate punishment to the theft. The second type is the one that the thief steals without the knowledge of the owner and guarantees immediate punishment, and that is the one that the theft is immediately unfished when they are caught.

Corruption in this story is an example of theft that takes place when a person is conscious of what is happening in their immediate environment. In this case, people see a foreigner or a person who looks well off, and they view that as an opportunity to rip them off. Immediately the narrator arrives at the airport in Nigeria he is approached by an officer who asks him for a bride "What have you brought me for Christmas?" the officer asks in Yoruba. Police are also corrupt, and they would usually ask for bride even for the slightest mistake made.

In the story, there is also theft through extortion. In this case, the thieves are usually the people of the young generation most likely the youths and the teenagers. When they are caught, they are usually punished either by police taking them into custody or by mob justice. Any social gathering is seen as an opportunity to steal from the guest. This is illustrated when armed robbers disordered an engagement party. The narrator tells about Mrs.Adeja who the narrator defines as "an ample woman with a regal presence," who her house is broken into and her husband is murder. According to the narrator, children are forced to steal while young men go to cyber cafe to perpetrate wire fraud. In one incident in the story, an eleven-year-old is caught stealing at the marketplace and is burned the narrator explains, "The splashing liquid is lighter than water, it is fragrant, it drips off him, beads in his woolly hair. He glistens. The begging stops. He stops begging, and he is not yet lit. The whites of his eyes are bright as lamps."

According to the book, therefore, some of the people in Nigeria survive on the hard work of others by stealing and extorting from them. Cole, therefore, explains the environment of what a person is likely to encounter if they Visit Nigeria through the work of fiction.