A review by signeskov
How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

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

3.25

This is a solid read - but not for the lighthearted. The topics this story deals with are heavy and
given the realities that it takes inspiration from, you cannot expect a happy ending no matter how much you hope for the village to persevere
. At first, I was a bit thrown by the multiple and almost omnipresent narrators, but towards the end, you start to realize how it made sense - I only wish I would have gotten more opportunity to return to the perspectives of some characters throughout instead of being constantly carried through by “The Children”. As a consequence of the multiple narrators, we also skipped over some quite uncomfortable gender roles or realities - while it makes perfect sense to get an insight into the various mindsets and traditions within the village, it would have been nice to see even more emphasis on the strong female characters in the story, as they could have made for an excellent and more obviously pronounced feminist storyline. Overall though, a nice read - albeit one should prepare for sadness more than happiness!
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