A review by clovetra
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

i have never in my life read a book where the story spans the perspectives of more than three generations. to follow seven generations, fourteen individuals, each with their own story, was mesmerising. gyasi has such a way with words, and i was enamoured.
the amount of history intertwined with stories that are fictional in nature but very likely true in facts was amazing to witness. i only know bits and pieces about history — a fact there, a war here, an eventful date occasionally. so i really enjoyed this insight into a world ive never traversed. 
honestly i was on the fence hearing about this synopsis. honestly, i usually am not a fan of stories about families. i find them to be offensive contrived and generic. but this? this needs to be hung up in a museum. holy shit. i really felt like i was there. i felt like i was with H in the mines. i felt like i was there with marjorie in the water. i was able to see the scenes laid before me so vividly at times i forgot i was reading. like ofc i know im reading im using my eyeballs but like i was that immersed in the story nothing around me mattered. 
the only thing holding this book back for me is, funnily enough, the format. did i absolutely adore following this family through seven generations? yes! did i also feel like almost nothing i was reading truly mattered because the next generation had to come, meaning the chapter i was reading would always have the same resolution - a child. yes hardships would occur and the events that occurred were very different between chapters. but for me i felt like the stakes were quite low even when the book was trying to tell me they weren’t, and it was hard for me to be concerned for the characters. i still felt anguish, joy, anger, etc., but i was never truly worried for the characters, as i knew they had to persevere until they had a child so the next chapter could continue and on and on.
ya gyasi is, dare i say it, one of the best writers of this generation. go and read this god damn book. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings