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A review by blessing_aj
Riambel by Priya Hein
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Riambel is the story of 15 year old, Noemi who slowly comes to terms with the despicable treatment of her people as part of the legacy of colonialism in Mauritius.
The story unfolds in very short chapters, some of which are as short as a single sentence. Most of it is narrated by Noemi except for one chapter that is narrated by her Achilles’ heel. These chapters are interspersed with poetry, native Mauritian recipes and snippets of memories from enslaved and abused women of the soil.
I liked the recipes and the fact that Noemi’s POV read like entires into a diary that a real life 15 year old - who is angry, frustrated and confused at the blatant injustices around her - would make. I didn’t like that the identities of the women whose memories made it into the book remained undisclosed. I get that the idea is probably that it doesn’t matter whose memory it is, since even Noemi and other young girls of the present generation still go through the same ordeal, but I really didn’t like it. I also wonder why it was important to include the French parts of the poetry in the English version.
What is clear is that this writer is livid about the subsisting legacies of colonialism and the horrors that the women have been subjected to in a country that is being promoted today as a prime tourist destination and I hope she writes some more about it.
The story unfolds in very short chapters, some of which are as short as a single sentence. Most of it is narrated by Noemi except for one chapter that is narrated by her Achilles’ heel. These chapters are interspersed with poetry, native Mauritian recipes and snippets of memories from enslaved and abused women of the soil.
I liked the recipes and the fact that Noemi’s POV read like entires into a diary that a real life 15 year old - who is angry, frustrated and confused at the blatant injustices around her - would make. I didn’t like that the identities of the women whose memories made it into the book remained undisclosed. I get that the idea is probably that it doesn’t matter whose memory it is, since even Noemi and other young girls of the present generation still go through the same ordeal, but I really didn’t like it. I also wonder why it was important to include the French parts of the poetry in the English version.
What is clear is that this writer is livid about the subsisting legacies of colonialism and the horrors that the women have been subjected to in a country that is being promoted today as a prime tourist destination and I hope she writes some more about it.