In the fantastical world of Nsanga-Norda, Lorsa Lopez murders his wife. It is the signal for Estina Bronzario, the Woman of Bronze, to lead the women of the area to stage a sex strike to protest the official corruption and apathy all around them. Endless crowds and carnival erase the meaning of time, but doom-laden prophecies land in the air, waiting to be fulfilled. Sony Labou Tansi's colourful novel is reminiscent of the epics of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, both in tone and lyricism.