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A review by paola_mobileread
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
4.0
This book grew on me - it took me some time to tune in to the style of narration, but after that is plain sailing. The feeling I got is that the story develops at the same psychological pace as event in the life of the main character, Okonkwo: there is a sense in which the first twentytwo chapters set the scene for the last three, where a whirlwind turns everybody's life upside down at an unexpected pace.
The last chapter, indeed the last three pages are almost shocking, and the ultimate message of this book comes really forcefully through them: the dissolution of everything, the devastating force of the colonizing force.
When it comes to colonialism, Achebe is extremely effective in conveying a lot in a single sentence:
There is so much in that "one of the messengers" and "quite unnecessarily": we don't need to know who the messenger is, it's just an underling, but he can wield power on the other men.
A powerful book.
The last chapter, indeed the last three pages are almost shocking, and the ultimate message of this book comes really forcefully through them: the dissolution of everything, the devastating force of the colonizing force.
When it comes to colonialism, Achebe is extremely effective in conveying a lot in a single sentence:
Spoiler
Obierika, who had been gazing steadily at his friend's dangling body, turned suddenly to the District Commissioner and said ferociously: “That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself and now he will be buried like a dog...” He could not say any more. His voice trembled and choked his words.
“Shut up!” shouted one of the messengers, quite unnecessarily.
There is so much in that "one of the messengers" and "quite unnecessarily": we don't need to know who the messenger is, it's just an underling, but he can wield power on the other men.
A powerful book.