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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Halfway through this book I almost abandoned it; the voices of the children I initially considered to be unique and authentic had become a bit twee and annoying, but then our protagonist moved to the USA (initially to Destroyedmichygen), and the stories became more interesting again. Our protagonist's struggle to find her way in the new environment but helped along by relatives/acquaintances from her home country was sometimes fascinating, sometimes devastating. One chapter in particular was quite upsetting with young teenagers systematically watching very explicit porn after school. :-( A few other chapters the author seemed to experiment with a different narration style (first person plural), but that didn't work for me, and I was glad she changed to her more balanced narrative for the last section of the book.
Initially, I was a little put off of this book when I started reading it because of the lack of speech marks – which may seem like a petty thing, but it’s not a device I particularly like. To me, it makes the text run into itself, and can sometimes make it difficult to tell who is talking. However I quickly got over this small hiccup, due to NoViolet Bulawayo’s gift for prose. Her writing is visual and vivid, shocking and touching, but also honest.
I felt just as gripped by Darling’s simple life of stealing fruit and inventing new games to play with her friends as I would be with some epic quest-filled fantasy or giant space opera. I was drawn into Darling’s world, where every little thing seemed to have so much meaning and significance.
However, this book was not just about a ten year old girl in Zimbabwe, passing her days playing games with her friends. There were so many serious issues – politics, poverty, AIDs, rape, child pregnancy, racism – covered within the book. The portrayal of these issues through the eyes of an innocent child made them all the more shocking, such as Darling’s emotionless reaction to her father dying of AIDs.
Darling’s main ambition is to move to America, and live with her aunt in Detroit (referred to by Darling and her friends as ‘Destroyedmicheygen’). Eventually she is able to join her aunt in the US, and this is where NoViolet Bulawayo demonstrates fantastic character progression. Darling’s language changes as she ages and adapts to the USA. She picks up slang, she is suddenly surrounded by technology and supermarkets and other things that were missing or less common in her life in Zimbabwe. As she grows, we see her lose her curiosity in things. We see how many people like Darling move to the States with big hopes and dreams, with the aim of providing for their family, and then can never return home because if they do, they cannot re-enter the States. Therefore they must sacrifice this connection with their family for the ability to provide for them.
We Need New Names was an absolutely beautiful book, in both prose and subject matter. We see Darling change from a curious young girl to a hard-working woman, working her way towards community college and also sending money back home for her mother, friends and other people from her village. The book felt both sad and joyful at the same time, in that Darling achieved her goals, but for that she had to sacrifice her connection to her homeland. Definitely highly recommended to all.
I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.
I felt just as gripped by Darling’s simple life of stealing fruit and inventing new games to play with her friends as I would be with some epic quest-filled fantasy or giant space opera. I was drawn into Darling’s world, where every little thing seemed to have so much meaning and significance.
However, this book was not just about a ten year old girl in Zimbabwe, passing her days playing games with her friends. There were so many serious issues – politics, poverty, AIDs, rape, child pregnancy, racism – covered within the book. The portrayal of these issues through the eyes of an innocent child made them all the more shocking, such as Darling’s emotionless reaction to her father dying of AIDs.
Darling’s main ambition is to move to America, and live with her aunt in Detroit (referred to by Darling and her friends as ‘Destroyedmicheygen’). Eventually she is able to join her aunt in the US, and this is where NoViolet Bulawayo demonstrates fantastic character progression. Darling’s language changes as she ages and adapts to the USA. She picks up slang, she is suddenly surrounded by technology and supermarkets and other things that were missing or less common in her life in Zimbabwe. As she grows, we see her lose her curiosity in things. We see how many people like Darling move to the States with big hopes and dreams, with the aim of providing for their family, and then can never return home because if they do, they cannot re-enter the States. Therefore they must sacrifice this connection with their family for the ability to provide for them.
We Need New Names was an absolutely beautiful book, in both prose and subject matter. We see Darling change from a curious young girl to a hard-working woman, working her way towards community college and also sending money back home for her mother, friends and other people from her village. The book felt both sad and joyful at the same time, in that Darling achieved her goals, but for that she had to sacrifice her connection to her homeland. Definitely highly recommended to all.
I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.
Started out great with vivid imagery and world building by sending the reader straight into the streets of Zimbabwe. Then it shifts into a different genre about 2/3 of the way through. I like both voices but juxtaposed together is a little disorienting.
This country was where I spent much of my childhood and I resonate so much with the loss of a place that was never mine.
This country was where I spent much of my childhood and I resonate so much with the loss of a place that was never mine.
This was a fantastic book told from a young girl's perspective of growing up in Zimbabwe as it's falling apart and then living in the US.
Many people say that this book covered too much and that's why they gave it only 4 stars instead of 5. I give it only 4 because I didn't think it covered quite enough. I would have liked a little more satisfying ending. I also think that in some years it may not be possible to so easily identify what country the main character is from. But still, I think the characters and the story will stay with me. Which is what I like most in a book.
the book was good and some parts were beautiful but animals and kids being abused or injured is not something I want to read
While this story had compelling characters it felt very disjointed for me. Despite the fact that it was a single life story, it felt lacking in a strong narrative. I did feel like I got a lot of value from this story in regards to the experience of a first generation immigrant.
Did not finish. Book club book. Content was too hard for me in this moment.
I really had trouble getting thru this book. Took me like 2 months. I just never got super into any of the characters and felt like some parts were choppy and unexplained. It was also hard to really understand the context of the book which didn't help. I feel like there's potential but it just wasn't for me.
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes