#RivetingReviews: David Hebblethwaite reviews COSMOS by Lucia Odoom, translated by Hunter Simpson

Lucia Odoom is a Danish writer of Ghanaian descent, whose debut novel Cosmos has been published by Daunt Books, in Hunter Simpson’s translation. The character Cosmos has left Ghana as a boat refugee and has ended up in present-day Denmark via Italy. His dream is to earn enough to build a house back in Ghana for his family. Right now, he collects other people’s cans and bottles so he can recycle them and pocket the deposits.

The novel is structured as a series of letters Cosmos writes over a period of five months to his sister Effie, aunt Dora, and his uncle, Pastor Emanuel. There are no replies included, just Cosmos’ words, giving a sense that he is working his current world out for himself, as much as to describe it for his family. One thing of which he’s acutely aware is that he effectively lives in a parallel world to the white Danish population:

‘I cover the whole city every day, and I come very close to people I’ll never know … And they’ve already decided who I am. They barely even look my way … All sorts of things happen in their lives that will never happen in mine. It’s exactly the same feeling I have when I watch a movie and fantasise about breaking through the screen and stepping into the story.’

The nature of belonging becomes one of the key themes of Odoom’s novel. Cosmos has found community in the Crows, his crew of fellow bottle collectors. They stick up for each other:

‘when passers-by on the street dismiss us, ridicule us, yell at us, or threaten us, we are each other’s witnesses, and when we have no idea what to do, one of us will always pick up the phone.’

It’s an improvised family, but one that works as a mutual safety net.

Things start to change when Cosmos meets and falls in love with a Tanzanian woman named Elizabeth. He first sees her in an African hair salon, noticing how comfortable and relaxed she seems in the space. He next encounters her taking pictures at a demonstration. As a professional photographer, Elizabeth has a firmer place in Danish society than anything it seems Cosmos could aspire to.

We see Cosmos’ and Elizabeth’s relationship develop step by halting step, whether she’s teaching him to swim or beating him at basketball. The Crows start to question whether he’s leaving them behind, but it seems that Cosmos can never quite bridge the gap of difference between himself and Elizabeth.

Cosmos’ looks could be his way forward, though. A friend of Elizabeth runs a modelling agency and hires Cosmos for a show. It might pay more than collecting bottles, but it hardly offers him more of an anchor in life. Cosmos reflects on the difference between his modelling and the deep roots of Pastor Emmanuel’s vocation:

‘Every time I put on a new outfit at one of these shows, I feel like a different character. But when I take the clothes off, the character disappears. When you put on your costume, Pastor, with your rings, your bracelet, and your cloth, you become even more the person you already are.’

Whichever circles Cosmos moves into, then, there is something that’s not quite right – true belonging proves elusive. There is a constant sense of restlessness in the novel, as Cosmos is not only moving around physically and socially, but still working his world out mentally. His journey is compelling to read.

Reviewed by David Hebblethwaite

COSMOS

Written by Lucia Odoom

Translated from the Danish by Hunter Simpson

Published by Daunt Books (2026)

June 2026 #RivetingReviews titles are available to buy from bookshop.org.

David Hebblethwaite is a reader and reviewer from the north of England, now living in the south. He has written about translated fiction for publications including Strange Horizons, Shiny New Books, and The Riveter from the European Literature Network. He also has his own website, David’s Book World.

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