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A review by onemorebookpodcast
Things They Lost by Okwiri Oduor
2.0
'Her shinbones were made of paper. Different people's shinbones were made of different things. Some people's shinbones were made of bamboo flutes, and some people's shinbones were made of lemongrass stalks. She knew that her shinbones were made of paper because she knew the story of herself. Back in the Yonder Days, she was wriggling in the sky, and then her mama looked up with her eyes, and her mama said, Please-please-I-need-you.'
Ayosa is a 12 year old girl living in the fictitious town of Mapeli whose mother keeps on leaving her behind. I haven’t read a book written in such a beautiful & flowery prose since 'One Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous' by Ocean Vuong, that’s what I can compare Okwiri Oduor's writing to. The book uses IMO magical realism to tell the stories of mothers & daughters, intergenerational memory & trauma, friendship & community care. She does so well by weaving in Kenyan folklore while also throwing jabs at colonialism, patriarchy & Christianity.
Notwithstanding the above praises, I unfortunately did not enjoy reading this book. Can something be too good that it then turns bad
Ayosa is a 12 year old girl living in the fictitious town of Mapeli whose mother keeps on leaving her behind. I haven’t read a book written in such a beautiful & flowery prose since 'One Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous' by Ocean Vuong, that’s what I can compare Okwiri Oduor's writing to. The book uses IMO magical realism to tell the stories of mothers & daughters, intergenerational memory & trauma, friendship & community care. She does so well by weaving in Kenyan folklore while also throwing jabs at colonialism, patriarchy & Christianity.
Notwithstanding the above praises, I unfortunately did not enjoy reading this book. Can something be too good that it then turns bad