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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
"God roams the world all day long, but every evening He returns home to Rwanda. Well, while God was traveling, Death took his place, and when He returned, She slammed the door in his face."
I was fascinated by this story, despite the distant and sometimes dry narration. I know little about the Rwandan history, and this book doesn't really delve into that much. It does however discuss the involvement of white people in the land's history, as well as more recent 'benevolent' protective efforts of white historians and scientists. It's hard not to get furious in the last chapters at the white teachers sitting around in the highschool while Tutsi girls are being beaten and raped; I'm not saying it would have been easy to intervene. I'm saying they didn't even try.
The reasons why I didn't give this book 5 stars were that I wasn't too found of the magical realism elements at the end (personal preference, probably because I've seen it used quite a lot recently), and because the narration was a bit distant. Still, a haunting read--the final chapter is horrific without really being graphic ( imagination can fill a lot of gaps) and will make your blood curdle. I really wanted to see Gloriosa punished, but alas, monsters like her rarely get the punishment they deserved. The people standing by and allowing those attrocities to happen also escaped unpunished, so I hope the girls' screams echoed in their dreams until the last day they drew breath on this Earth.
I was fascinated by this story, despite the distant and sometimes dry narration. I know little about the Rwandan history, and this book doesn't really delve into that much. It does however discuss the involvement of white people in the land's history, as well as more recent 'benevolent' protective efforts of white historians and scientists. It's hard not to get furious in the last chapters at the white teachers sitting around in the highschool while Tutsi girls are being beaten and raped; I'm not saying it would have been easy to intervene. I'm saying they didn't even try.
The reasons why I didn't give this book 5 stars were that I wasn't too found of the magical realism elements at the end (personal preference, probably because I've seen it used quite a lot recently), and because the narration was a bit distant. Still, a haunting read--the final chapter is horrific without really being graphic ( imagination can fill a lot of gaps) and will make your blood curdle. I really wanted to see Gloriosa punished, but alas, monsters like her rarely get the punishment they deserved. The people standing by and allowing those attrocities to happen also escaped unpunished, so I hope the girls' screams echoed in their dreams until the last day they drew breath on this Earth.
Heerlijk boek, doet wat denken aan Derry Girls maar in plaats van de IRA heb je de dreiging van genocide. Ondanks de thematiek is het verhaal grotendeels verrassend luchtig.
dark
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
nie mam pojęcia o co chodziło, a szkoda bo zapowiadało się dobrze
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
J'ai adoré la plume de ce livre! Direct, efficace, et elle a contribué aux scènes très visuels. Les descriptions du lycée l'ont rendu lui-meme un personnage principal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia
Moderate: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Colonisation
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eu peguei esse livro meio no impulso. Não gostei muito do outro que tinha lido da Scholastique Mukasonga.
Mas foi uma leitura maravilhosa. Ainda é perceptível seu jeito quase (quase!) errático de escrever e contar histórias, mas dessa vez eu me senti envolvida e investida nas personagens e em cada causo que as envolvia, pequenos ou grandes.
Foi também uma leitura cruel, dolorida, sinistra e tão, tão verdadeira. A história do massacre de 1994 na Ruanda é uma realidade tão próxima, e o livro faz um trabalho brilhante de demonstrar como o terreno foi preparado para essa tragédia, como essa tragédia pôde acontecer, como o ódio, o racismo, a briga pelo poder, a ditadura, culminaram em mais ódio e tantas mortes e tanta dor e tanta tortura.
Leitura excelente.
Mas foi uma leitura maravilhosa. Ainda é perceptível seu jeito quase (quase!) errático de escrever e contar histórias, mas dessa vez eu me senti envolvida e investida nas personagens e em cada causo que as envolvia, pequenos ou grandes.
Foi também uma leitura cruel, dolorida, sinistra e tão, tão verdadeira. A história do massacre de 1994 na Ruanda é uma realidade tão próxima, e o livro faz um trabalho brilhante de demonstrar como o terreno foi preparado para essa tragédia, como essa tragédia pôde acontecer, como o ódio, o racismo, a briga pelo poder, a ditadura, culminaram em mais ódio e tantas mortes e tanta dor e tanta tortura.
Leitura excelente.