I think I will give this book 4 stars, but the 5th star is for Ben Okri's mother - thank you, Ben Okri's mother!

Why his mother? The explanation is in this Guardian article, which I quote here:

My mother’s enigmatic way of telling stories. They appeared to have no point but they haunted me with their suggestiveness, and they were so fascinating that 40 years later I still contemplate their elusive meanings.

In that same article, Ben Okri says that Cervantes' Don Quixote was the book that changed his life. Perhaps that explains why, of all the stories told in this collection, his story about Don Ki-Otah blew my mind. You can get a teensy-tiny taste of the amazing words in this story by watching this short YouTube video from a festival where some people acted out the story!

I was not a fan of all the stories, but I certainly enjoyed listening to Ben Okri tell me stories. I stumbled up on this book my accident. It was listed on the front page of the Libby app I use to get e-books or audio books from my library. I was searching for something else and this simply caught my eye. I have a bazillion books on my TBR list, and Ben Okri just waltzed to the front of the queue. Technically speaking, I wanted something in audio and short stories appealled to me. I am so lucky to have made this choice. This is storytelling. S-t-o-r-y-t-e-l-l-i-n-g. And his mother must be shining through because some are mere enigmas, but so fascinating that they linger and linger in a pleasant way, or even in uncomfortable ways. There is myth, folklore, philosophy, and some other wonderful, undefinable things mixed together in this collection.

I could not find a list of all the stories in the collection so I have made one here. I thought I would savour these stories over the month I had when borrowing this from the library. I ended up devouring them all rather quickly. Like me facing a box of chocolate. However, especially after reading the tale about Don Ki-Otah, I feel a touch guilty. Also, I could imagine the delight in having a paper copy of a few of them just to ponder on once in while.

Boko Haram 1 - A young boy is a suicide bomber... This tale is just tragic.
Prayer for the Living - The narrator walks through the desolation of a town in a dry desert-like area after it has been destroyed in a war (probably the war in Biafra). The concept of death, dying, with the added observation about white television crews who come to film these events. Very haunting, moving, and extremely though-provoking in its desolation and tragedy.
An Inca Elegy - Visiting a town in the Andes where the last of the Incas lived. The narrator is a guide for tourists in the area.
A Sinister Perfection - Rather creepy, but very well told! About a young girl who received a doll's house as a present - a house that was a duplicate of their own house...
Ancient Ties of Karma - A young man and an old man hold a series of duels in various realms - realm of shadow, realm of thought, and finally the realm of reality. One of the enigmas with an elusive meaning, but beautifully written.
Dreaming of Byzantium - A haunting tale. Moves through dreams, thoughts, and maybe reality. Does unreality make reality?
The Canopy - Not quite sure!
In the ghetto - A young boy and his family are returning home and their car breaks down in a dusty street before they reach home. Discussions of who helps who and when and why between the father and the boys. The atmosphere is vividly captured. I felt very thirsty in the heat of that dusty road!
Hail - A young man stops in a framer's shop while out shopping with his baby daughter and his girlfriend. He listens to the discussion between the framer and two other clients. One of the clients was a painter who gave up painting after painting 500 pictures because he was depressed.
Mysteries - Conversations between a poet and an actor. I liked the poet's feelings about a play. He "appreciated the trouble people took to create something and never allowed himself to become snobbish". If he was diverted and stimulated and personally found value in what he saw, he was "generally contented".
Tulips - A visit to an art gallery.
The Lie - A king wants to know what constitutes the greatest lie in the world is. He hoped this would teach him the greatest truth. This is also a bit enigmatic or perhaps "just" philosophical, but the style is old-fashioned in a very good way. I could easily imagine being a child sitting at the foot of an elder telling tales and being enthralled by this. But, regardless of our chronological age, are we not often innocent children listening hungrily to those who tell us our stories?
Boko Haram 2 - Again, the tragedy seeps through this short, minimalist tale.
The Master's Mirror - A story with a touch of rosicrucianism and maybe (not sure) Dorian Grey.
The Stander Uppers - Told from the perspective of prehistoric creatures when they transformed from crouchers who ran on four legs to "the stander uppers" who walked on two legs. The imagery of the light god and the dark god was brillian (understanding day and night). Interesting perspective that the crouchers did not like those who walked on three legs (transitioning from four to two legs) and contemplated eating them. Also in the perception of art on the wall of the cave - were the beasts on the wall edible or what?
Alternative Realities are True - Detective Draper solves a murder mystery due to his grasp of different realities because the murder hasn't actually taken place yet. Definitely enigmatic!
The Story in the Next Room
The Overtaker - Maybe a fable about the dangers of speeding on the Nigerian highways between cities, but with a sprinkling of spirit world, too, perhaps?
Raft - A tale of people fleeing on a raft to Greece...
The Secret History of a Door - A tale about the door found during the demolishing of Newgate Prison.
The Offering - "A woodsmoke tale." A woman travels into the Andes where it is said musicians offer their guitars to the spirits of the lake to help improve their musical talents.
Don Ki-Otah and the Ambiguity of Reading - As Ben Okri explains, the name was originally Don Quixote, but due to "the imaginative force of African nicknaming", he becomes Don Ki-Otah. This story is just brilliant. It's also full of excellent phrases like this one where Don Ki-Otah calls a printing machine "a machine that multiplies realities". The part about how fast or how slow you read, and where you begin to read a book is just brilliant.
Boko Haram 3 - Horrific tale, especially just after the brilliance of the previous story.
A Street - Streets carry many tales, but these are rarely captured. they are invisible in history.