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maritbrock 's review for:
Beneath the Lion's Gaze
by Maaza Mengiste
My understanding of the wars in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia has been limited to what I have heard from refugees to Minnesota. If pressed I could have imagined something sort of like this story but this beautiful book helped me understand the confusion, sadness and fear that must have been experienced by those living in the beginning of the revolution in Ethiopia.
Through the eyes of these characters we see the slow but crushing breakdown of a society that makes sense to those living it. We see the driving forces of fear, hunger and power and we see the impact of courage and dignity.
Through the power of the writing I came to love each of these characters with their fears and flaws and hopes. The descriptions were so extraordinary that at times I felt like I was standing in a crowded, dusty market or on a hillside at dusk. The cadence of the story felt like poetry.
We know what happened in Ethiopia in the 1970s so I knew not to expect a happy ending. But it does end with a sense of bittersweet hope that these characters will find some peace.
I look forward to reading more by Maaza Mengiste.
Through the eyes of these characters we see the slow but crushing breakdown of a society that makes sense to those living it. We see the driving forces of fear, hunger and power and we see the impact of courage and dignity.
Through the power of the writing I came to love each of these characters with their fears and flaws and hopes. The descriptions were so extraordinary that at times I felt like I was standing in a crowded, dusty market or on a hillside at dusk. The cadence of the story felt like poetry.
We know what happened in Ethiopia in the 1970s so I knew not to expect a happy ending. But it does end with a sense of bittersweet hope that these characters will find some peace.
I look forward to reading more by Maaza Mengiste.