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mettenikkessen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Slavery and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Torture, Rape, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Murder, Mental illness, Infertility, Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Child death, Addiction, and Abandonment
seanml's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Trafficking
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Cannibalism, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, and Stalking
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Death, Death of parent, Colonisation, Child death, Xenophobia, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Infertility, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Ableism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Pregnancy, War, Vomit, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Genocide, Fatphobia, Cursing, and Animal death
sweekune's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- Each chapter has a different point of view, starting with the original sisters and flowing down the generations to modern day. You feel the weight of the ancestor's experience influencing the lives of the descendents. Despite the short time spent with each protagonist, the author's writing draws you in and you feel in your heart for each and every one of them.
- This book documents extremely well the challenges of black people from the slave trade, colonialism, segregation, gaining independence, workers' rights, drug addiction and so much more. This is the sort of book that should be studied in schools and used to spark discussions on history and the awful things white people did (and still do) to black people and forge a better future.
- The language used is beautiful and Gyasi's prose paints all these places and points in time so it's like you're there. The ending of one chapter almost made me vomit the imagery was so strong. It takes amazing skill to write something that produces such a visceral reaction and I am in awe of her talent.
Absolutely and irrevocably scarring in the best way. I will carry Homegoing with me for a long time and I felt it within me. Everyone should read this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
bookswithhan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Mental illness, Racism, and Slavery
rosalind's review against another edition
‘In my village we have a saying about separated sisters. They are like a woman and her reflection, doomed to stay on opposite sides of the pond.’
I’m in a peculiar position because I cannot say I enjoyed this book, but I feel that it was, unequivocally, a 5-star read. One reviewer on here said it made one of the strongest conceivable cases for reparations and black rage, and I agree. This book made me sick to my stomach multiple times. At times I didn’t know how or if I could finish it. But that’s kinda the point. Through the stories contained within this book, Yaa Gyasi has breathed personhood back into history, removing impediments to empathy and reporting the horror of what people with my skin colour are responsible for. The prose is perfectly chosen, parsimonious yet evocative, frank about suffering without embellishment.
I’m generally not good at very sad storylines because I’m an ✨empath✨ who is ✨highly sensitive✨ with a very susceptible imagination. As a result, sometimes I find stories tough to shake off at the end of a reading session. But it feels right in this case; I want these stories to live in my memory, because they represent so many souls whose time was snatched, made torturous, wasted, ruined, eviscerated, at the hands of colonisers and their descendants. I do not want to forget.
In terms of the writing, I did find it a bit hard to keep up with who was who, especially in the first half of the novel, and was very grateful for the family tree to consult in the front of the book. One could almost call ‘Homegoing’ a collection of interconnected short stories or vignettes, which I think would have been helpful to know going in. Similarly, it only dawned on me towards the last few chapters re. the running themes of fire and water as polar opposites yet fellow elements, equal in their capacity for destruction and redemption. I’d recommend looking out for those through-lines; part of me wants to re-read it so I can better appreciate these connections. But I know I just can’t face it. As I’ve said about some of the most impactful work I’ve consumed in my life: I’m very grateful I read it, and I hope never to see it again.
Graphic: Trafficking, Confinement, Colonisation, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
sarahlizzie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Rape, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
eloiseisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Homophobia, Infertility, and Adult/minor relationship
cuppa_curiositea's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, and Trafficking
mandkips's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Sexual assault, Rape, Racial slurs, Death, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual violence, Child death, Child abuse, Genocide, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Homophobia, and Infertility