Call it magisterial entertainment. No wonder he won the prizes. The control of tone shows someone at the peak of his powers. He can be loose and discursive at will and yet turn on a dime and focus the narrative, turn from literary disquisition to plot intricacies that leave you hanging on. You can’t call it Congolese gothic – even if tempted, you can’t call it magic realism although he provokes you in passing. No, this is probing, searching and vital storytelling.