UK and Irish reviews
‘A book that explores themes of identity, race, privilege, dislocation, and political unrest in a post-apartheid society. You could also call it the sexual and intellectual coming-of-age story of a young surgeon in post-apartheid South Africa.' – Dipo Faloyin, 'The Long Wave', Guardian
‘Emil, a young Creole man, goes to Stadmutter (Cape Town), a place his father disdains as a “caste society”. Quite the contrast for someone from eGeld (Johannesburg)”where it is difficult, over the telephone, to tell Black from White or Creole”. Emil comes under the spell of Haitian-German Lukas Bolling, a “jet-set provocateur with money and amoral instincts”. There’s Braeem Shaka, whose agitations for Creole reparations puts him in the crosshairs of government. Emil, an aspiring neurosurgeon, must find his own path as tension builds. Beguiling in its specificity, Terry’s novel is a granular exploration of race in South Africa.’ – Molara Wood, Irish Times
US reviews
'Wilderness of Mirrors skilfully traces the difficult afterlives of apartheid and racial segregation to great effect.’ – Vanessa Peterson, ‘What to Read This Winter’, Frieze
‘Terry perfectly captures how youthful decisions—or indecisions—can have radical impacts on the rest of our lives.’ – Wendy J. Fox, Electric Literature
‘An intelligent debut about how young adults negotiate the intricate politics of race and identity in contemporary South Africa.’ – Kirkus Reviews
Other reviews
‘Olufemi Terry’s remarkable debut explores the effects of colonialism, social atomization and the rootlessness of affluence.’ – Jacqueline Nyathi, Harare Review of Books
UK and Irish reviews
‘Book reviews in brief: A Better Death; Wilderness of Mirrors; The Throats of Birds’, Molara Wood, Irish Times, 28 March 2026
‘From the World Cup to the return of Michaela Coel, 2026 promises to excite and bring joy’, Dipo Faloyin, ‘The Long Wave’, Guardian, 31 December 2025
US reviews
‘What to Read This Winter’, Vanessa Peterson, Frieze, 30 January 2026
‘15 Small Press Books You Don’t Want to Miss This Fall’, Wendy J. Fox, Electric Literature, 7 October 2025
‘WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS: A novel about awkward coming-of-age in a country negotiating the same bewildering passage’, Kirkus Reviews, 4 July 2025
Other reviews
‘Books from African authors and authors of African descent to look forward to in 2025’, Jacqueline Nyathi, Harare Review of Books, 4 January 2025