Reviews

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

leahthebooklover's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

Sweeping family generational story. Effia and Esi are half sisters, separated by circumstance and unknown to each other. They live on the Gold Coast of Africa in the 1700's. Effia is married to a British governor and lives in the Cape Coast Castle. Esi is a prisoner in that same castle's dungeon, soon to be shipped across the ocean as a slave. The story follows the generations that follow each of these women. None of the generations that follow have easy lives. Whether in Africa or America, their descendants suffer oppression, heartbreak, betrayal, deprivation, incarceration, addiction, discrimination and more - but still they endure. Each chapter highlights a different character, two from each generation, following the lineage through time. The final chapters are set in the present day, and somewhat reflect the author Yaa Gyasi's own experiences, growing up as a Ghanian immigrant in the United States. The inspiration for the book came when she visited Ghana to do research for a novel that was going to be about a mother and daughter. A serendipitous tour of the Cape Coast Castle changed her focus to the exploring the contrast between the upper class castle residents living in luxury and the enslaved residents of the dungeons. The lives of her characters illustrate her belief that "the dominoes loosed by slavery, colonialism and two centuries of institutionalized racism have been falling ever since. In "Homegoing", she wants readers to see these things came from those things which came from those things."

clairesle's review against another edition

5.0

I loved the way Gyasi formed each character. With care, she carved out each one. The story left me forlorn for a place I've never been and people I've never known. I am so excited for her newest novel!

jenn_reads_everything's review against another edition

5.0

Incredibly powerful literature… 10/10 recommend!

bigolscrewup's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

The family is like the forest: if you are outside it is dense; if you are inside you see that each tree has its own position

Forgiveness, they shouted, all the while committing their wrongs

5/5🌟

How can a debut novel be this good ? Honestly the thing that surprises me more is the fact that it's a short book ( only 300 or so pages ) even though the story spans over two centuries, exploring each sister's family through the years. When I first started the book, I was sceptical, because it has a lot of characters and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep all the characters and their origin in place, but the way it was written, like a collection of short stories all related to previous generation made reading this book enjoyable.

Among all the books I've read in this particular genre, I loved reading it the most and that's all down to author's storytelling and the research behind it. I was able to learn more about slave trade and how it started out in countries like Ghana and the relationship dynamics between the slavers, the middle man and the British.

Especially with Esi's family line, It was disheartening, reading about the cruel laws that permitted the enslavement and wrongful imprisonment of innocent people in those times and it is heartbreaking to acknowledge the fact that it still persists today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Racism, War, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Mental illness

shelovedtoread's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

nikirubin's review against another edition

slow-paced

• 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

kamila_z's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

aweick's review against another edition

5.0

Absolutely breathtaking

beckyspiers99's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

bonnie9595's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. Wholly magnificent. I love how quickly the plot trips on, without the thread being lost. I love how easily the chapters connect to each other from what you know of the parent, which lets you start each story in the middle. I love the parallels and contrasts. I love how it made me consider things I had never thought of. I love how it effortlessly demonstrates the weight of losing family lineage, and how having family to lean on is such a strength. I’m obsessed.