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A review by theshiftyshadow
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
This book starts with 2 sisters in what is now Ghana, separated at birth, and destined for two different lives. One is sold into slavery and ends up in the US, the other marries a white man from the local English settlement. Each chapter follows a different descendant of each sister and we jump forward in time through about 200 years.
I appreciate the ambition of this author, and the scale of this project, but I found the constant character changes a bit of a struggle. Not because it's badly done, the opposite actually. Every time I was just starting to get settled with one of them the chapter would end and I almost always wanted to read more about every character. The format also started to feel a bit repetitive towards the end.
As dumb as it sounds, I've only recently started to think about what the Atlantic slave trade looked like from the African side of the ocean. I suppose as an Irish person I have been exposed to more American media and so any depictions of the slave trade usually focus on what happened in the US. With that in mind this was a fascinating read and left me with a list of people, places, and events to read up on. I'd also definitely read more from Yaa Gyasi.
I appreciate the ambition of this author, and the scale of this project, but I found the constant character changes a bit of a struggle. Not because it's badly done, the opposite actually. Every time I was just starting to get settled with one of them the chapter would end and I almost always wanted to read more about every character. The format also started to feel a bit repetitive towards the end.
As dumb as it sounds, I've only recently started to think about what the Atlantic slave trade looked like from the African side of the ocean. I suppose as an Irish person I have been exposed to more American media and so any depictions of the slave trade usually focus on what happened in the US. With that in mind this was a fascinating read and left me with a list of people, places, and events to read up on. I'd also definitely read more from Yaa Gyasi.