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A review by booklandish
We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
5.0
This is one of those books that is hard to review. It deals with a lot of complex issues including, colonialism, racism, guilt, religion, ethics... there is a lot to unpack. Interestingly, I read this on the heels of my read of Moth by Melody Razak in July, which dealt with the Indian Partition following the departure of the British. Here, Zayaan inspects what happened to the Indian population who was relocated to East Africa following those events by focusing on a particular family through generations.
Bullet review:
- Partly epistolary
- Dual timeline and POVs
- Set in Uganda and UK
- Focus on history
- Deeply moving
- Flawed characters
- Open ending
This book really evoked many emotions in me. Including grief, sadness, and frustration at the meddling of parents in their children's lives. At some point, I was worried the book would end too neatly, but I was pleasantly surprised. The author handled issues wonderfully and with a lot of nuances. There is so much to discuss and I really recommend it as a book club pick.
Bullet review:
- Partly epistolary
- Dual timeline and POVs
- Set in Uganda and UK
- Focus on history
- Deeply moving
- Flawed characters
- Open ending
This book really evoked many emotions in me. Including grief, sadness, and frustration at the meddling of parents in their children's lives. At some point, I was worried the book would end too neatly, but I was pleasantly surprised. The author handled issues wonderfully and with a lot of nuances. There is so much to discuss and I really recommend it as a book club pick.