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A review by tylerclarkmclendon
Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
I read Anthills with a group for a read-along hosted by @bernie and I have to preface by saying that the conversation and ideas surfaced as a part of that community greatly influence the experience I had while engaging with this book. The book is a masterpiece in itself, so I’m certain I would have loved it regardless.
Set in a fictional country (Kangan) in West Africa, Achebe writes beautifully of the landscape and with the same beauty, along with a a barbed wit, of the human inhabitants. I loved the characters, flaws and all, and the tension between everyone was palpable throughout the story, the events of which had me on the edge of my seat. Tension about political corruption, relationships, perception and reality, and the importance of storytelling and using one’s voice amidst all of the interweaving and workings of our lives — because absolute power arises from silence.
“It is only the story...that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence.The story is our escort;without it,we are blind.Does the blind man own his escort? No, neither do we the story; rather it is the story that owns us.”
Set in a fictional country (Kangan) in West Africa, Achebe writes beautifully of the landscape and with the same beauty, along with a a barbed wit, of the human inhabitants. I loved the characters, flaws and all, and the tension between everyone was palpable throughout the story, the events of which had me on the edge of my seat. Tension about political corruption, relationships, perception and reality, and the importance of storytelling and using one’s voice amidst all of the interweaving and workings of our lives — because absolute power arises from silence.
“It is only the story...that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence.The story is our escort;without it,we are blind.Does the blind man own his escort? No, neither do we the story; rather it is the story that owns us.”