“Look, there’s my car,” I say, pointing at my Mercedes in the parking lot.
“Where?” a fellow desert traveler asks.
“There, that Mercedes,” I say.
He looks at me, questioning. “You want to drive that through the Sahara?”
“Where?” a fellow desert traveler asks.
“There, that Mercedes,” I say.
He looks at me, questioning. “You want to drive that through the Sahara?”
My Mercedes is Not For Sale is a quirky, at times misbehaving story of the life of a car…a 1988 Mercedes 190 D…but it is not a book simply for car enthusiasts or Mercedes lovers…for I am neither nor is my wife who also read the book.
Dutch author Jeroen Van Bergeijk explores the life of this car he drives from the Netherlands across the Sahara in search of an opportunity to sell the car… along with some short looks at past owners of the vehicle…
His adventures and misadventures are pronounced with quirky humour and delicious tidbits…but he also provides some philosophical insights into automobiles, Africa and other diverse topics. There are times when you can visualize a wink and grin from Jeroen (see I even feel like I am on a first name basis with him).
What is it like to own and drive a Mercedes; there are stories aplenty that do not leave those of us that are not into the technical part of the vehicle...you see Jeroen’s approach is not simply as he would say “classical” but is also “romantic”…it is not enough to simply talk about the vehicles attributes but how it makes you feel…what are the emotions and experiences of driving this car across the Sahara? This allows the story to move from being a one dimensional auto book to travel adventure and thought provoking tour.
What you get is a book that is a quick read; it does not get stuck in auto lingo, it does not romanticize Africa as Jeroen says “Things in Africa come in two forms: broken or almost broken.” Yet he also gleefully supplies some clever, entertaining and kind insights as to culture and people of Africa. Some of his most fascinating and humorous comments are saved for other Europeans. Around many corners of the book are surprises and as we follow the story across Africa in the attempt to sell the Mercedes at Ouagadougou the reader finds a constant oasis of factoids and storylets as fuel…His story telling has no flat tires and is turbocharged…
The book is unpretentious, witty, speedy…yet with depth if you care to swim at that end of the pool…you can ride in the front seat or the back seat…enjoy the trip…
We highly recommend My Mercedes is Not For Sale by Jeroen Van Bergeijk…it is a PURPLISH GOOD BOOK.
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