Hey all! I'm back with another spoiler-free book review. One of the books that I finished in November (wait...) October (seriously??) was Yaa Gyasi's debut novel, Homegoing. Before the book came out, I read the synopsis and I knew right off the bat that this was a book that I had to own for myself. Not a library copy and not as an ebook. I needed a physical copy and when I finally got the chance, I got it. (Thank you Books-A-Million!)
First Impressions
This cover is absolutely gorgeous. Before I started reading it I wondered where the idea for the cover art came from. Once I read the book, I understood. Also, the fact that the book has been blurbed by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Phil Klay is awesome. I was surprised that the book was only 300 pages long and that it's a standalone so I figured that it was something that would probably get to the heart of the story without a lot of fillers.
Short Summary
Effia and Esi are half-sisters living in two different villages in 18th century Ghana. One sister marries a white British colonist and the other is sold into slavery and shipped off to America. This narrative tells about their family tree and how each person's choices affect their children.
Review
I enjoyed this book very much. This story is a stewpot with the main ingredients being love, heartbreak, pride, struggle and determination. Don't be fooled by the number of pages this book has because I certainly was. These 300 pages are packed with descriptions, emotion and events in each person's life without being too verbose.
Rather than numbered chapters, a character from each generation and side of the family gets their own section. In each section we get a glimpse of each character's personality, what they are going through, how they view the past, what drives them and how they respond to adversity. I loved the characters seemed real, as if they're based on real individuals. With that being said, not one character makes decisions that are always good or always bad. In fact, some of the characters said things and made decisions that really irked me and sometimes I didn't quite understand why they did the things they did or how they may have been feeling until generations later when someone else is recalling that moment.
Gyasi's writing is very lyrical and some sections are almost poetic. Her descriptions of places, happenings and people are very clear and vivid. To be honest, there were times where I had to stop so that I could digest what I read. If an author can envoke that response in me, that's a plus. Gyasi doesn't hold back in telling each person's story but she doesn't spend more time than what's necessary in getting the point across.
The one thing that I had a teeny bit of a hard time adjusting to was trying to understand what year or what period of history each story was supposed to be set in. Maybe there were mentions that I missed or perhaps I need to brush up on my history. Then again... I realized afterwards that telling a story without major indications of what year it is a great way to ensure that the reader stay focused on the character and what they have to say.
Overall, this is a book that I wouldn't mind reading again and I don't regret buying it instead of borrowing it. When I picked this book up, I decided that I was going to take my time with it. Because I that I was able to stay immersed in the story and enjoy it for a longer period of time.
Rating
My overall personal and Goodreads rating of this book out of 5 stars is:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
My personal rating of the cover art of the book out of 5 stars is:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Recommendation and Age Suitability
I would recommend this book to anyone. If you enjoyed Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah or Lalita Tademy's Cane River, then this is a book that you should deeply consider picking up. I would also recommend this book to anyone who wants to know a little more about the effects of slavery, racism and colonialism on a smaller scale. This book is an adult book but I would extend this recommendation to teens as well. Homegoing can be a good book to read on your own, for a class or for a book club. If you're reading this for a book club, I would suggest using these discussion questions from Penguin Random House Audio.
Last Thoughts
Here's a quote that I loved (and was tempted to highlight):
"What I know now, my son: Evil begets evil. It grows. It transmutes, so that sometimes you cannot see that the evil in the world began as the evil in your own home. I'm sorry you have suffered. I'm sorry for the way your suffering casts a shadow over your life, over the woman you have yet to marry, the children you have yet to have." Yaw looked at her surprised, but she simply smiled. "When someone does wrong, whether it is you or me, whether it is mother or father, whether it is the Gold Coast man or the white man, it is like a fisherman casting a net into the water. He keeps only the one or two fish that he needs to feed himself and puts the rest in the water, thinking that their lives will go back to normal. No one forgets that they were once captive, even if they are now free. But still, Yaw, you have to let yourself be free." – Homegoing, pg. 242.
Links
Homegoing Discussion Guide by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing
Goodreads page
Amazon page
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