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A review by laurareads87
Nazar� by JJ Amaworo Wilson
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Everything begins and ends in the sea.
Having loved J.J. Amaworo Wilson's Damnificados, I picked up a copy of Nazaré without even really reading anything about it -- I'd been eagerly awaiting his next work and I'm very happy with my decision. Nazaré has much of what I liked best about Damnificados -- a diverse group of protagonists who need to figure out how to come together, and the perfect blend of political fable + magical realism.
Nazaré follows Kin, a young boy living in a fishing village in Balaal, who may or may not be magically inclined. He ultimately plays a key role in challenging the country's brutal dictator, Matanza; as Wilson writes on the back of the novel, "their revolution is unlike any other, fought by tinkers and miners, monks and acrobats, clairvoyants in bowler hats, a painted saint, the King of the Rats, and a giant turtle named Abacaxi" (who, despite his very old age, had never before actually participated in a revolution). This novel had me alternating between laughing aloud and feeling excited and angry and hopeful. It's rare for me, but I'd probably read this again.
Having loved J.J. Amaworo Wilson's Damnificados, I picked up a copy of Nazaré without even really reading anything about it -- I'd been eagerly awaiting his next work and I'm very happy with my decision. Nazaré has much of what I liked best about Damnificados -- a diverse group of protagonists who need to figure out how to come together, and the perfect blend of political fable + magical realism.
Nazaré follows Kin, a young boy living in a fishing village in Balaal, who may or may not be magically inclined. He ultimately plays a key role in challenging the country's brutal dictator, Matanza; as Wilson writes on the back of the novel, "their revolution is unlike any other, fought by tinkers and miners, monks and acrobats, clairvoyants in bowler hats, a painted saint, the King of the Rats, and a giant turtle named Abacaxi" (who, despite his very old age, had never before actually participated in a revolution). This novel had me alternating between laughing aloud and feeling excited and angry and hopeful. It's rare for me, but I'd probably read this again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Grief, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Cannibalism