A General Theory of Oblivion by the Angolan writer José Eduardo Agualusa is a novel set against the backdrop of Angola’s turbulent transition from Portuguese colonial rule to independence and civil war. Through the story of Ludovica Fernandes Mano, known as Ludo, Agualusa explores themes of memory, the impact of history on individual lives and its randomness, isolation, loneliness, belonging, identity, family, and the position of women in society.