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wordsofclover's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
We Are All Birds of Uganda follows a young lawyer called Sameer as he thrives in his high stress, long hours job as a London corporate lawyer, and receives good news on the job front that requires a move to Singapore. But Sameer struggles to tell his family that he is moving country, as the weight of his responsibilities as the son who should give back, lie heavy on his shoulders. Eventually Sameer takes a trip to Uganda, a country his grandfather and father forcefully emigrated from in 70s and he connects with the land and people.
There were lots of things I enjoyed in this book - from amazing food descriptions (I'm craving Indian food now but even more so Asian-Ugandan fusion food!) to intense, complicated family dynamics and a look into a world history I had no idea about. I feel so ignorant that before this book I had no idea about the Indian/Asian population in Uganda, and how this community was vilified during a period of unrest in Uganda to the point they were pretty much kicked out of the country despite growing successful businesses, and calling Uganda home.
There were times it was tough to read this book as Sameer's frustration and his lack of control over his own life screamed from the pages from the way his new boss treated him in his job, to how his family didn't think he should be able to live his own life and instead come back to the town he grew up in, live with his family once more and join the family business (plus give up financial independence and use the family account where the dad monitors all spending, which actually had me screaming in horror). I think Indian culture (possibly to an extreme level) is portrayed well in this book from the point of a modern British-East African Asian man loathe to conform to his father's ancient ideas of what a person should do. There were many times Sameer wasn't heard in this book, and times he should have been speaking louder.
I loved the descriptions and feels of Uganda when Sameer travels there, as well as the moments of beauty and love in Hasan's letters about his love for Uganda. It really brings to life a vibrant, colourful country yet it didn't shy away from the more troubling aspects such as the racism (both African-Asian, and Asian-African), as well as the poverty in the country. I appreciated how Sameer and Maryam had to face a life of being judged for being in a interracial couple, and they had to think about how hard this would be from them from all sides including disapproval from Sameer's family.
I did think Sameer was just a bit of a wet sock type of character. He was hard to figure out at times as it seemed his mind jumped to different things he wanted to do, and when things got hard he ducked out quickly. He went from loving lawyer life, to not wanting to be in it very quickly on his Ugandan trip, and the amount of times he changed his mind about things would give a reader whiplash. I didn't really respect him much as a character, and I just wanted him to have more conviction about everything. I did like how he renewed his relationship with God, and Maryam encouraged him to explore his feelings of faith.
The ending of this really annoyed me. It felt like there was so much unfinished business, and I think this also points out problems with the pace of the novel. So much time at the start is focused on Sameer in London, with Rahool and Jeremiah and by the time we see Sameer make big changes in his life, the book is 80% done so the repercussions are very rushed and we get a cliff hanger ending that just doesn't feel worth it. This book isn't a particularly happy read.
There were lots of things I enjoyed in this book - from amazing food descriptions (I'm craving Indian food now but even more so Asian-Ugandan fusion food!) to intense, complicated family dynamics and a look into a world history I had no idea about. I feel so ignorant that before this book I had no idea about the Indian/Asian population in Uganda, and how this community was vilified during a period of unrest in Uganda to the point they were pretty much kicked out of the country despite growing successful businesses, and calling Uganda home.
There were times it was tough to read this book as Sameer's frustration and his lack of control over his own life screamed from the pages from the way his new boss treated him in his job, to how his family didn't think he should be able to live his own life and instead come back to the town he grew up in, live with his family once more and join the family business (plus give up financial independence and use the family account where the dad monitors all spending, which actually had me screaming in horror). I think Indian culture (possibly to an extreme level) is portrayed well in this book from the point of a modern British-East African Asian man loathe to conform to his father's ancient ideas of what a person should do. There were many times Sameer wasn't heard in this book, and times he should have been speaking louder.
I loved the descriptions and feels of Uganda when Sameer travels there, as well as the moments of beauty and love in Hasan's letters about his love for Uganda. It really brings to life a vibrant, colourful country yet it didn't shy away from the more troubling aspects such as the racism (both African-Asian, and Asian-African), as well as the poverty in the country. I appreciated how Sameer and Maryam had to face a life of being judged for being in a interracial couple, and they had to think about how hard this would be from them from all sides including disapproval from Sameer's family.
I did think Sameer was just a bit of a wet sock type of character. He was hard to figure out at times as it seemed his mind jumped to different things he wanted to do, and when things got hard he ducked out quickly. He went from loving lawyer life, to not wanting to be in it very quickly on his Ugandan trip, and the amount of times he changed his mind about things would give a reader whiplash. I didn't really respect him much as a character, and I just wanted him to have more conviction about everything. I did like how he renewed his relationship with God, and Maryam encouraged him to explore his feelings of faith.
The ending of this really annoyed me. It felt like there was so much unfinished business, and I think this also points out problems with the pace of the novel. So much time at the start is focused on Sameer in London, with Rahool and Jeremiah and by the time we see Sameer make big changes in his life, the book is 80% done so the repercussions are very rushed and we get a cliff hanger ending that just doesn't feel worth it. This book isn't a particularly happy read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Fatphobia
rebeccafarren's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism
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