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A review by tracey1981
How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved this book about a village’s experiences with oil development on their land in Africa. It’s a fictional village called Kosawa - I imagined Nigeria but it could be almost anywhere in Africa which is the point, of course.
This book really lays bare the impacts of imperialism and colonialism over generations for the people and the land. It is devastating and also such an important illustration of what communities experience. The only thing more depressing than these things happening is no one acknowledging it, so in that sense, in a way it made me feel better to see someone writing about it. But just to be crystal clear, this is not a light read by any means.
The story alternates between first person plural narration by “the children” and individual narrators. The first person plural was quite unique and I liked it. I thought the story flowed quite seamlessly from one section to the next. I also liked the different perspectives of the various narrators and how we developed a more complex understanding of other characters by seeing them through the eyes of different people.
My only gripes were that I didn’t believe Thula, the main character, would have written such personal letters to her peers back home and there were some pacing issues in the last third of the book which I felt dragged a bit.
4.5 stars rounded up. I look forward to reading more by Mbue.
This book really lays bare the impacts of imperialism and colonialism over generations for the people and the land. It is devastating and also such an important illustration of what communities experience. The only thing more depressing than these things happening is no one acknowledging it, so in that sense, in a way it made me feel better to see someone writing about it. But just to be crystal clear, this is not a light read by any means.
The story alternates between first person plural narration by “the children” and individual narrators. The first person plural was quite unique and I liked it. I thought the story flowed quite seamlessly from one section to the next. I also liked the different perspectives of the various narrators and how we developed a more complex understanding of other characters by seeing them through the eyes of different people.
My only gripes were that I didn’t believe Thula, the main character, would have written such personal letters to her peers back home and there were some pacing issues in the last third of the book which I felt dragged a bit.
4.5 stars rounded up. I look forward to reading more by Mbue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse