Scan barcode
A review by cojack
Happiness by Aminatta Forna
4.0
This leans toward a 3.5, as the story and pace are uneven. The last 7 or so chapters really elevated this book. Parts of it were a slog, especially Jean’s backstory with the coyotes in New England. I am interested in wildlife and human intrusions, etc., but there was SO MUCH detail, it started to feel like the writer did a ton a research and wanted to include all of it, whether it benefited the story or not. I found myself skimming, which I don’t do often.
The good: Beautiful writing about the displaced, adaptation, community, how our experiences form us and inform our decisions, memories, guilt, love, trauma... All this through the stories of people and animals. I especially loved that the two main characters were older, Jean had to be over 50, and Attila over 60. Being in my mid 50s, I could identify with the reflection on one’s life while also feeling like there is so much more life to be lived, and what does it look like?
In addition to the above issues with pacing, the story sort of ambled. If you need plot, go elsewhere. Again, the author does tie it up well, but there is no real plot or tautness to the story. At certain points I just didn’t care and had to force myself to keep reading, asking myself, “where is this even going????” (But I wanted to finish for book club). Attila is an excellent character. His passages really shined. The jumps back and forth in time often slowed the book down and didn’t add much, especially in Jean’s storyline.
So: good, not great. If the entire book were as good as the last chapters, this would have been a home run.
The good: Beautiful writing about the displaced, adaptation, community, how our experiences form us and inform our decisions, memories, guilt, love, trauma... All this through the stories of people and animals. I especially loved that the two main characters were older, Jean had to be over 50, and Attila over 60. Being in my mid 50s, I could identify with the reflection on one’s life while also feeling like there is so much more life to be lived, and what does it look like?
In addition to the above issues with pacing, the story sort of ambled. If you need plot, go elsewhere. Again, the author does tie it up well, but there is no real plot or tautness to the story. At certain points I just didn’t care and had to force myself to keep reading, asking myself, “where is this even going????” (But I wanted to finish for book club). Attila is an excellent character. His passages really shined. The jumps back and forth in time often slowed the book down and didn’t add much, especially in Jean’s storyline.
So: good, not great. If the entire book were as good as the last chapters, this would have been a home run.