A review by waterbear0821
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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

5.0

This is a really beautiful book. It’s also brutal, but—particularly if you are a white American—don’t let that deter you. Sometimes fiction can make hard truths even more true and this book feels absolutely true. The story is told as one chapter for each character as you move generation by generation into the near present. At first it was a bit of a challenge because I felt like a was missing so much jumping over years (not to mention that it was, no spoiler warning needed I hope, incredibly violent and horrific because it’s about the slave trade). However, as I got into it, I found the generational snapshots to be very effective and more than sufficient for me to be invested in the characters. The writing is wonderful. The story is terrible and beautiful and, in the end, hopeful. Whether you know a lot or not much about the history of slavery in Africa and America and its lingering generational scars, highly recommend this book. 
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