Transparent City (Portuguese: Os Transparentes) is a romance novel by Angolan writer Ondjaki published in 2012 by Caminho.
This cultural trauma is shown throughout the book's writing:[4] «The war», it was said, «is a bleeding memory, and at any moment you open your mouth, or gesticulate, and what comes out is an incarnate trace of things you didn't know you knew» all Angolans had, therefore, some paranoia with weapons or armaments, all had a story to tell or an episode to invent Breaking up the narrative sections, there are single black pages with white text, including lines from author's notes, various character's recordings, and even "the voice of the people."
The story is centered around Odonato who lives on the sixth floor of the Maianga Building with his wife, Xilisbaba, their daughter, Amarelinha, and Granma Kunjikise.
When his son, Ciente-the-Grand, stumbles into the Maianga Building late at night, bloodied from trying to rob someone's house, Little Daddy mistakes him for a thief.
A group of six policemen believe that Ciente is a "pot-head" and attempt to kick him awake, then take him into their police car.
He goes to the station one last time, but he discovers that Ciente was consigned to the fourteenth district cemetery three days ago.
Other characters include João Slowly who founds the Church of the Sacred Little Lamb next to his favorite bar.
Lastly, the Mailman handwrites countless letters to anyone in power asking for transportation to help him deliver the mail.
The excavations culminate in the entirety of Luanda burning as an errant spark turns the oil buried underneath the city into a firestorm.
As a result, this novel uses magical realist elements as a critique of colonialism, capitalism, and the corrosive and harmful aspects of corrupt politicians.