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A review by 2kerrymehome
The Face: Cartography of the Void by Chris Abani
3.0
I loved the last essay best, and the portion on the Yoruba words for beauty. The landscape of his face and the pain and power of it were beautifully told. And I loved the different framing of it in each chapter.
But how are you go write an entire book about your face- about the pain of being your father's son, about ancient tribal legacies and the jokes of your brother- without talking in depth about your mother?! She made you, and suffered the pain of you to be omitted like that? Is the omission intentional? what of her face? Her whiteness doesn't need its own red carpet, but her face's absence in this book was so obvious, especially since she was only described in comparison to other people.
But how are you go write an entire book about your face- about the pain of being your father's son, about ancient tribal legacies and the jokes of your brother- without talking in depth about your mother?! She made you, and suffered the pain of you to be omitted like that? Is the omission intentional? what of her face? Her whiteness doesn't need its own red carpet, but her face's absence in this book was so obvious, especially since she was only described in comparison to other people.