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oysterie 's review for:
Beasts of No Nation
by Uzodinma Iweala
[2.5 stars rounded down]
Not fully sure what I didn't like about this book. It's not that I disliked it, but rather there weren't really any parts that I enjoyed reading. It is a tragic, heartbreaking story but I felt there was something lacking about it. I struggle to articulate what specifically, though.
The characters were fine though completely one dimensional. Though this did hinder the story a bit in my opinion, I understand why the author made the choice as there was very little room for characters to breathe in between events. This book is formatted as short glimpses piece by piece through the story. Some are in the past but most are chronological. The writing itself is tight and well done and the narrator's voice is well crafted.
There are pretty well-written parts strewn throughout the book. Each of the parts where the narrator is feeling as though he is guided to doing things under the basis of being a soldier is well done and this culminating into him describing the sun beating onto the gun on his back branding him as a cattle owned by the gun is a very striking motif. Beyond these moments though there was little to write home about.
I don't think it's that this book needed a tighter narrative nor do I think that there was really much that could have been changed. Despite the heartbreak of this story I felt bored. We got bits and pieces of nice writing but then back to them marching or camping. There wasn't enough character insight to keep the readers entertained in that regard so we were left with slogging along with the group through the bush with little to focus on.
Not fully sure what I didn't like about this book. It's not that I disliked it, but rather there weren't really any parts that I enjoyed reading. It is a tragic, heartbreaking story but I felt there was something lacking about it. I struggle to articulate what specifically, though.
The characters were fine though completely one dimensional. Though this did hinder the story a bit in my opinion, I understand why the author made the choice as there was very little room for characters to breathe in between events. This book is formatted as short glimpses piece by piece through the story. Some are in the past but most are chronological. The writing itself is tight and well done and the narrator's voice is well crafted.
There are pretty well-written parts strewn throughout the book. Each of the parts where the narrator is feeling as though he is guided to doing things under the basis of being a soldier is well done and this culminating into him describing the sun beating onto the gun on his back branding him as a cattle owned by the gun is a very striking motif. Beyond these moments though there was little to write home about.
I don't think it's that this book needed a tighter narrative nor do I think that there was really much that could have been changed. Despite the heartbreak of this story I felt bored. We got bits and pieces of nice writing but then back to them marching or camping. There wasn't enough character insight to keep the readers entertained in that regard so we were left with slogging along with the group through the bush with little to focus on.