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A review by serendipitysbooks
La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
La Bastarda is apparently the first book by a woman author from Equatorial Guinea to be translated into English. It’s a very slim volume with straightforward structure and prose. It is the story of Okomo. Her mother died in childbirth and she lives with her maternal grandparents. Nobody will give her any information about who her father is. Her grandparents are keen for her to marry, a rich man. But she is already in love. With a girl named Dina. Okomo’s Fang culture does not treat gay men well and they do not even recognise the existence of gay women. There is no word in the language for them.
I found this very accessible and readable. The insight into different cultural practices and beliefs was fascinating. Learning about life in other countries is interesting in its own right by it also gives me a new lens through which to examine life in my own country. I really felt for Marcelo (her uncle, a gay man or man-woman as the Fang culture derisively labelled him) under so much pressure to impregnate a woman whose own husband cannot, and Okomo who was simply unable to live the way tribal custom dictated. Thankfully both Marcelo and Okomo were able to find support with a found family of others who lived in the forest.
A useful book to read to gain more of an international perspective on gay rights, and a satisfying story to boot.
I found this very accessible and readable. The insight into different cultural practices and beliefs was fascinating. Learning about life in other countries is interesting in its own right by it also gives me a new lens through which to examine life in my own country. I really felt for Marcelo (her uncle, a gay man or man-woman as the Fang culture derisively labelled him) under so much pressure to impregnate a woman whose own husband cannot, and Okomo who was simply unable to live the way tribal custom dictated. Thankfully both Marcelo and Okomo were able to find support with a found family of others who lived in the forest.
A useful book to read to gain more of an international perspective on gay rights, and a satisfying story to boot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Incest, and Sexual assault