A review by thechronicknitter
An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma

4.0

While a painfully heartbreaking novel this book tackles themes that have been around since the dawn of civilization. The jacket cover describes it as a "contemporary twist on Homer's "The Odyssey" told in the mythic style of the Igbo literary tradition." Contemporary issues like racism, classism, imperialism, and in relation to that the main character's chi often brings up memories of his past lives where life was simpler. How villages were constructed, where the trees were, and that time did not dictate everything in life. The events that unfold are heart-rending as Chinonso moves through life. Like in all lives there are good and bad times, but as a young adult and once he finds the woman he loves things just seem to only go downhill from there. We follow his journey as he does everything in his power to make himself the man he feels he needs to be to be with his love, as well as to be a god kind man to those around him. He pays a hefty price for both, and in the end who is to say whether it was worthwhile or if he ever finds peace. While the plot may be heartbreaking the book is a joy to read and is made all the more interesting by its non-Euro-centric format which brings a change. I appreciate that Obioma did not have a perfect protagonist that always made the perfect/best choices throughout his life and was sometimes cruel or selfish, or perhaps struggles to forgive and move on. These are all things that humans struggle with and makes Chinonso relatable to everyone.

The only difficulty I faced was sometimes being taken out of the story to try to figure out words since Igbo, Pidgin, and the Igbo spiritual hierarchy are new to me. But that is something that is on me and allowed me to learn new things. For those wondering, it is infrequent. It is in no way like attempting to read a book fully in a language that you do not understand.