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black_girl_reading's review against another edition
4.0
This book, about the death of a beloved son and brother, amidst the backdrop of the 2008 Kenyan election violence, but also the horrors of trying to decolonize a country that should have never been colonized in the first place, explores tribalism, the way that violence engulfs everyday people, the heartbreak of a beloved country at war with itself, dreams delayed, family ties, love, lust, silence as a language, and the vast indifference of the universe in human suffering. This book was written about the time before the grief. Kenya felt like a country waiting to cry for it’s dead, but not yet having the languages to do it. Whew. If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it was. This book. It was one I really had to concentrate on. Parts of the story were improbable, but it served the narrative. More and more things came to the surface and so much clearly remained below. This is an excellent read if you’re down for an epic journey into places that a nation is just reckoning with.
wkariuki_'s review against another edition
4.0
Yvonne’s writing is exceptional. She managed to display the weight of each character’s emotions distinctively and that, I adored. It’s definitely not for the faint hearted. I specifically enjoyed the parts telling Odidi’s story. It was an amazing read and one I’d recommend.
michelleshinee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
clem's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
abbeysc1120's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book for a class and my professor from Tanzania said this book is confusing even for Africans. I feel that because I was so confused.
clarereadstheworld's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
In this dazzling, dream-like narrative Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor transports us to her native Kenya, guiding the reader through generations of silence and half truths as Ajany and Isaiah try to unpick the tangled webs of the shared past and understand the threads which bind them together.
Beginning with the death of Odidi in the streets of Nairobi, this novel sweeps across Kenya, from the harsh, violent capital, to the no less dangerous and unforgiving rural corners. The narrative moves from North to South, East to West, present to past and back again as questions no one wants to answer are asked.
It did take me quite a while to get used to the style, which skips around from character to character, and dives into memories before popping back to the present day in a somewhat unpredictable manner. The narrative voice often feels rather fragment, which at first I found a little frustrating, but which I grew to love.
Important events in Kenya's political history gradually unfold, and their impact of the lives of the main characters slowly becomes clear. I definitely enjoyed this element of showing how the big political picture also impacted the average citizens too.
This is a book full of feelings and impressions. The past slowly emerges from between the pages, and the future is the open, and unwritten. This book was shortlisted for the Folio Prize in 2015, and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is also the winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, and I can see her. Her lyrical writing is just magical. I really enjoyed the voyage of this novel.
Beginning with the death of Odidi in the streets of Nairobi, this novel sweeps across Kenya, from the harsh, violent capital, to the no less dangerous and unforgiving rural corners. The narrative moves from North to South, East to West, present to past and back again as questions no one wants to answer are asked.
It did take me quite a while to get used to the style, which skips around from character to character, and dives into memories before popping back to the present day in a somewhat unpredictable manner. The narrative voice often feels rather fragment, which at first I found a little frustrating, but which I grew to love.
Important events in Kenya's political history gradually unfold, and their impact of the lives of the main characters slowly becomes clear. I definitely enjoyed this element of showing how the big political picture also impacted the average citizens too.
This is a book full of feelings and impressions. The past slowly emerges from between the pages, and the future is the open, and unwritten. This book was shortlisted for the Folio Prize in 2015, and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is also the winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, and I can see her. Her lyrical writing is just magical. I really enjoyed the voyage of this novel.
yossikhe's review against another edition
2.0
In Dust, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor manages to paint an intense picture of grief. All the characters in the novel, experience the loss of Odidi one way or another, but always intense and emotion heavy. In the process, the author gets to show us the political and social context of Kenya.
Anyway, this isn't my style of book: overtly descriptive, with metaphors in almost every paragraph and that switches back and forth between present and past in a single sentence. Reading it, I felt like when I was reading [b:Paradiso|460006|Paradiso|José Lezama Lima|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463852136l/460006._SX50_.jpg|448478], I lose my patience midway through a sentence and want to know what's going on. I've got nothing against this book, but it was a reminder that I shouldn't insist on reading poetic-prose novels, I just don't like them.
Anyway, this isn't my style of book: overtly descriptive, with metaphors in almost every paragraph and that switches back and forth between present and past in a single sentence. Reading it, I felt like when I was reading [b:Paradiso|460006|Paradiso|José Lezama Lima|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463852136l/460006._SX50_.jpg|448478], I lose my patience midway through a sentence and want to know what's going on. I've got nothing against this book, but it was a reminder that I shouldn't insist on reading poetic-prose novels, I just don't like them.
blackandbound's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- 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? No
4.0
fishface's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
Dust slowly reveals each facet of the past and its ties to the present in a way that enraptured me. Though at first I didn’t like the writing style, after the first few pages it became to add rather than detract to the rhythm of the story, short and fragmented sentences mixing with description to build up a narrative that stumbled then flew. Beautiful and terrible, the heat shimmering landscape of Wuoth Ogik is the perfect backdrop for this tale to play out.
Dust slowly reveals each facet of the past and its ties to the present in a way that enraptured me. Though at first I didn’t like the writing style, after the first few pages it became to add rather than detract to the rhythm of the story, short and fragmented sentences mixing with description to build up a narrative that stumbled then flew. Beautiful and terrible, the heat shimmering landscape of Wuoth Ogik is the perfect backdrop for this tale to play out.