A review by claudinereads
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya

2.0

I wish I enjoyed this book more. Wamariya's experiences are haunting and tragic. However, I was unable to fully engage with the story. Clemantine alternates between a retelling of her journey throughout Africa and her experiences in the United States. I don't have an issue with the alternating storylines itself, but instead a problem with how it is done. Wamariya never leaves us wanting more, the skips in time are too disjointed. I did love how her emotions are so clear throughout the book, especially her anger. I think she deserves to be angry and sometimes that is the easiest emotion to feel after trauma. All in all, I just didn't like the writing style and story telling style. It is a short memoir, but I felt as though I was trudging in mud reading it.