A review by abigail_spencer
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I wanted to like this book but I just found it upsetting to read, the women are treated despicably and the central character is difficult to empathise with or like. What i did enjoy was the lovely insight into culture and the overarching themes but I detested the m/c being such a chauvinist and sexist person. In addition the end of the book made a wonderful point, i just wish i could have had this heart-wrenching story from the perspective of a character who wasn't so detestable that it distracted from the bigger  issues. The misogyny is so overwhelming without seeming to criticize anything or prompt you to question things, for example one of the women is not even given a name beyond 'Nwoye's mother'. It talked about terrible things without really seeming to care that they were terrible.

Overall, excellently written but I couldn't relate on any personal level due to how unpleasant the main character was. Not sure why Achebe chose to write about such a character, but then again im not a literature student or expert so decifering that is better left to someone else.
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