A review by 2treads
Who Slashed Celanire's Throat? by Maryse Condé

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Listen, I will always have a good time with Condé's characters. Not only are they vibrant on the page but they are also complex beings with flaws and ambition and in Celanire's case, a need for revenge.

Here we are introduced to the mysterious yet clever Celanire in the Ivory Coast. She has come with a mission it seems to educate and elevate the state of women in this colonial village. However this comes with certain behavioral changes in the women that the men aren't too comfortable with. There are inexplicable yet plausible deaths linked to her, rumors of dark spirits using her for their own, and the belief that she is from the devil. As Celanire moves from Africa to Guadeloupe and finally to Peru, pieces of her missing story are slowly revealed and the mission that she is on to pay back her attempted sacrifice comes to light.

Condé is especially aware of the intricacies of each place wherein she sets her stories and they are readily consumed and understood. The racial and communal  structures, the misogyny and perceptions of women, as well as the effects of colonialism.
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