This one will really reel you in. (See what I did there?) Chigozie Obioma's debut novel is tragic, violent, and tender all at once. It portrays the beautiful bonds of brotherhood and heartbreaking changes that befall a once flourishing family, and also raises questions about whether outside influences or personal choices determine our destinies--individually, within families, and for whole cultures and societies. Obioma is a master of metaphors, and through the Agwu family, "a metaphor for the paradox that is Nigeria," (Obioma says in a Huffpost Interview), we learn a lot about "colonial contraptions like Nigeria." Obioma's writing is lyrical and vivid, making his story and its themes accessible to everyone, just as he says he intended in this article where he talks about the "show don't tell" of good writing, and says: "I believe that fiction, with it's untrammeled nature, speaks to no one, and by so doing, speaks to all. It must transcend boundaries, time and space..." He certainly actualizes this goal beautifully.
This is one of those rare books that I gave four stars to initially, but then because I couldn't stop mulling it over, and kept uncovering new layers of meaning, I bumped it up to five stars.
Books this one added to my TBR:
The God of Small Things
Things Fall Apart (re-read)
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