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A review by clarereadstheworld
Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In this dazzling, dream-like narrative Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor transports us to her native Kenya, guiding the reader through generations of silence and half truths as Ajany and Isaiah try to unpick the tangled webs of the shared past and understand the threads which bind them together.
Beginning with the death of Odidi in the streets of Nairobi, this novel sweeps across Kenya, from the harsh, violent capital, to the no less dangerous and unforgiving rural corners. The narrative moves from North to South, East to West, present to past and back again as questions no one wants to answer are asked.
It did take me quite a while to get used to the style, which skips around from character to character, and dives into memories before popping back to the present day in a somewhat unpredictable manner. The narrative voice often feels rather fragment, which at first I found a little frustrating, but which I grew to love.
Important events in Kenya's political history gradually unfold, and their impact of the lives of the main characters slowly becomes clear. I definitely enjoyed this element of showing how the big political picture also impacted the average citizens too.
This is a book full of feelings and impressions. The past slowly emerges from between the pages, and the future is the open, and unwritten. This book was shortlisted for the Folio Prize in 2015, and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is also the winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, and I can see her. Her lyrical writing is just magical. I really enjoyed the voyage of this novel.
Beginning with the death of Odidi in the streets of Nairobi, this novel sweeps across Kenya, from the harsh, violent capital, to the no less dangerous and unforgiving rural corners. The narrative moves from North to South, East to West, present to past and back again as questions no one wants to answer are asked.
It did take me quite a while to get used to the style, which skips around from character to character, and dives into memories before popping back to the present day in a somewhat unpredictable manner. The narrative voice often feels rather fragment, which at first I found a little frustrating, but which I grew to love.
Important events in Kenya's political history gradually unfold, and their impact of the lives of the main characters slowly becomes clear. I definitely enjoyed this element of showing how the big political picture also impacted the average citizens too.
This is a book full of feelings and impressions. The past slowly emerges from between the pages, and the future is the open, and unwritten. This book was shortlisted for the Folio Prize in 2015, and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is also the winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, and I can see her. Her lyrical writing is just magical. I really enjoyed the voyage of this novel.