REVIEW: Homegoing

The author takes her time to take the reader through history. She has a gift for transporting you into the time and place so profoundly that you feel the passage of time once you start a new chapter Title: Homegoing Author: Yaa Gyasi Pages: 320 Publisher: Penguin Books UK This book had a massive publicity […]

The author takes her time to take the reader through history. She has a gift for transporting you into the time and place so profoundly that you feel the passage of time once you start a new chapter

Title: Homegoing

Author: Yaa Gyasi

Pages: 320

Publisher: Penguin Books UK

This book had a massive publicity machine and I’ll admit to not reading the blurb or any excerpts before developing an intense desire to read it. Yes, I totally fell for the marketing strategy; which is why I jumped at the opportunity to read a review copy of the UK edition.

The story chronicles the experiences of several generations of a family torn apart by tribal wars and slavery. The concept of creating different narratives over such an incredible length of time must have been daunting and there are several ways it could have gone south… But it didn’t.

The research that must have gone into writing this book…

The author takes her time to take the reader through history. She has a gift for transporting you into the time and place so profoundly that you feel the passage of time once you start a new chapter. There are no dates to remind one of this, I can’t remember any reference to any particular year, which makes this all the more interesting.

What I loved about it

History: Seriously, If you have any interest in Ghanaian/African history. This book will captivate you; the story takes you through time, across continents. I particularly loved learning about Ghanaian Culture before Colonization, which isn’t something I had given any thought to before this book. The details about the slave trade also held my interest, I have always thought about this in the abstract and as something so far in the past, I can’t truly relate to. This book brings that time to life and I have to say I don’t think I would have survived for long in that era.

I also loved how the author chronicles the journey of African-Americans from slaves to grudgingly accepted members of society. The truth is I cannot truly understand what it means to have the entire system working against you.I kept looking forward to the parts of the family in America hoping that maybe they would have caught a break by now, but it never ends. Not really. Yaa Gyasi really took her time, not so much to address the issue but to lay it bare. So you can see the effects and feel a little of the injustices perpetuated against an entire race.

Everything Else: There aren’t many books that I don’t have problems with. Not just for the sake of being contrary but because my attention span is completely unreliable. I’m either all in or bored to tears but there is so much to love about the theme of this book: Love and the strength of familial bonds. I found myself wishing it didn’t have to end.

My Verdict

This book was a charming and enjoyable read. There are serious issues in here that are a little depressing, but the story isn’t. It serves as a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and the hope we all have that regardless of time or circumstances, we will always find our way home again.

 

I completely recommend this. With two thumbs up.