A review by ameeth
How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

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

5.0

This is a book that I have to give 5 stars, because it still gnaws at me many days after finishing. Mbue writes incredibly vivid characters, and with the use of multiple POVs, we get to read (and reread) the events of this community unspool over 40 long years. While there were a couple character perspectives I wished she had returned to, the intergenerational focus on the women of Thula's family was apt. In addition to fighting environmental racism, colonialism, etc, the women were forced to contend with a patriarchal system on all sides.

Another strong choice was the returning, omniscient second person POV of "the children." These chapters not only illuminated the trauma and failures of each previous generation- they kept reinforcing how much and how little was changing. Nevertheless, I found their hope infectious, to detrimental effect. This story is a gut punch, in part because it is more real than fiction. 
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