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A review by asourceoffiction
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
There is so much to digest and process in this utterly sweeping novel. It's an incredibly intricate and complex story, made up of snapshots of African (and African American) lives through generations. And it's completely brilliant.
In every chapter I found myself stopping frequently to think back on the previous sections, fascinated by the connections and the shared past of these amazing characters. I was desperate to know more, often just as the chapter would finish and we'd move on to the next generation. But wondering what befell each character is one of the poignant parts of this story; it reflects the thousands of stories that never got to be told as lives were torn apart by the slave trade.
This is a novel of histories remembered and respected, and histories trampled and forgotten, and the effects that ripple down through the years. It's beautiful, evocative, devastating, heartwarming and often brutal in its injustice. I was fascinated and uncomfortable in equal measure, but these are such important stories to tell and to read.
In every chapter I found myself stopping frequently to think back on the previous sections, fascinated by the connections and the shared past of these amazing characters. I was desperate to know more, often just as the chapter would finish and we'd move on to the next generation. But wondering what befell each character is one of the poignant parts of this story; it reflects the thousands of stories that never got to be told as lives were torn apart by the slave trade.
This is a novel of histories remembered and respected, and histories trampled and forgotten, and the effects that ripple down through the years. It's beautiful, evocative, devastating, heartwarming and often brutal in its injustice. I was fascinated and uncomfortable in equal measure, but these are such important stories to tell and to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual violence and Rape