A review by lepasseportlitteraire
Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

3.5

In this touching novel, we follow an Ethiopian family during the violent 70’a revolution. A family with their components so different from each other, but all affected by one tragic event after the other.

I found that it provides a well-balanced narrative, resulting in a book that is both historically informative and plot-driven.

However, while I enjoyed the reading and do recommend it, there were some aspects of the novel that bothered me and which are the reason this will not enter my best reads of this year.

First of all, the alternate POV is a little too quick to my taste, and I felt we do not get enough time with each character: I think it is one of that books that deserved to be longer. Moreover, many secondary characters deserved more space and their storylines were quickly explained and closed in just a couple of lines. Finally, I felt that the POV is mainly masculine, and the women in the story did not get as much storyteller time as the men. 

Still, it is a relevant book that will emotionally engage you, all in a historical setting that does not get much space in literature.