lauren3101's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eunicek82's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I really loved this book about a young girl living under the long shadow of her mother’s difficult past (and her grandmother and great-grandmother’s too). The writing is vivid, lush and full of magical realism. I first heard about this book via Leone Ross who recommended this for fans of Popisho, and I agree.
thebookworm777's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I have no words for how amazing this book was. It is now one of my three favorite works of magical realism I’ve ever read. Every page is lush with imagery that ripples hazily between reality and something more. I feel like I could spend days analyzing the rich tapestry of literary devices woven throughout the story and like I would constantly be discovering something new. This is an absolutely incredible book that has left me breathless.
agracec's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Upon reflection I enjoyed this book more and more.
shrrawat's review
5.0
When I was in high school, I read a book called "The House of Spirits" by Isabel Allende. It was my first introduction to the genre of magical realism, yet I never quite found another book that had the same draw, the same wonder as "The House of Spirits." With Okwiri Oduor's "Things They Lost," I think I have finally found the same kind of atmosphere and magic that I experienced all those years ago.
"Things They Lost" tells the story of Ayosa Ataraxis Brown, the twelve-year-old daughter of Nabumbo Promise Brown, and the latest addition to the matriarchal Brown family started by the enigmatic and cruel Mabel Eudoxia Brown in the 1900s. But Ayosa doesn't just inherit the Brown's legacy and name. She also inherits the cycle of mother-daughter neglect and abuse, the crushing loneliness of wanting to be loved by someone who fails to love themselves, and the casual violence it engenders. When Ayosa makes a friend of a "throwaway" girl Mbiu Dash, she finds her first hope of breaking this circle, and freeing herself from the thrall of her mercurial mother.
Reading through other reviews of this book, I have noticed a common criticism is that there is little plot or action to this book, and to a certain extent, that is true. However, if one is familiar with the genre of post-colonial magic realism, one would understand that the focus of this genre is not often the development of the plot, but rather the development of the characters and the heavy-handed and ubiquitous symbolism. Ayosa's twisted and toxic relationship with Nabumbo that both fails and goes beyond that of mother-daughter, her status as the great-granddaughter of an unapologetic colonizer, even the importance of the middle names of all the generations of the Brown family could be fodder for several essays worth of literary analysis. In fact, I would not be surprised if this book one day finds itself in classrooms examining East African literature; this book is just so perfect and lends itself to that purpose.
But just because this book is perfect for academic reasons, does not mean that it does not entertain. Oduor is a master of tone in this novel, deftly creating a dark, dreary, atmosphere filled with little moments of wonder and fantasy. It's a heavy book, and it took me a long time to finish because I found myself reading certain parts over again, trying to make sure that I took in the entirety of what was trying to be said. I loved reading the magic Oduor created in little moments, of a woman using a speculum to prop up her collapsing larynx, of "wriggling things" being present in each dark and lonely moment of some of the main character's lives, and of wraiths ready to kidnap someone in a moment of weakness. I did feel like I still missed out on some items, since this book does rely heavily on East African folklore, of which I have only superficial knowledge, but what I did catch on to, I thoroughly enjoyed.
I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
"Things They Lost" tells the story of Ayosa Ataraxis Brown, the twelve-year-old daughter of Nabumbo Promise Brown, and the latest addition to the matriarchal Brown family started by the enigmatic and cruel Mabel Eudoxia Brown in the 1900s. But Ayosa doesn't just inherit the Brown's legacy and name. She also inherits the cycle of mother-daughter neglect and abuse, the crushing loneliness of wanting to be loved by someone who fails to love themselves, and the casual violence it engenders. When Ayosa makes a friend of a "throwaway" girl Mbiu Dash, she finds her first hope of breaking this circle, and freeing herself from the thrall of her mercurial mother.
Reading through other reviews of this book, I have noticed a common criticism is that there is little plot or action to this book, and to a certain extent, that is true. However, if one is familiar with the genre of post-colonial magic realism, one would understand that the focus of this genre is not often the development of the plot, but rather the development of the characters and the heavy-handed and ubiquitous symbolism. Ayosa's twisted and toxic relationship with Nabumbo that both fails and goes beyond that of mother-daughter, her status as the great-granddaughter of an unapologetic colonizer, even the importance of the middle names of all the generations of the Brown family could be fodder for several essays worth of literary analysis. In fact, I would not be surprised if this book one day finds itself in classrooms examining East African literature; this book is just so perfect and lends itself to that purpose.
But just because this book is perfect for academic reasons, does not mean that it does not entertain. Oduor is a master of tone in this novel, deftly creating a dark, dreary, atmosphere filled with little moments of wonder and fantasy. It's a heavy book, and it took me a long time to finish because I found myself reading certain parts over again, trying to make sure that I took in the entirety of what was trying to be said. I loved reading the magic Oduor created in little moments, of a woman using a speculum to prop up her collapsing larynx, of "wriggling things" being present in each dark and lonely moment of some of the main character's lives, and of wraiths ready to kidnap someone in a moment of weakness. I did feel like I still missed out on some items, since this book does rely heavily on East African folklore, of which I have only superficial knowledge, but what I did catch on to, I thoroughly enjoyed.
I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
the_literarylinguist's review against another edition
Nice writing and integration of folklore, but magical realism doesn't always work for me and I didn't care enough about the story/characters to finish
ericxcherish's review
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
my exact brand of mommy issues
littleislaygirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mshai's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was stunningly evocative writing. My goodness. It was very dark and horrible in places but the writing really carried this book. Beautiful imagery in such a sad lonely landscape. This story follows a young girl called Ayosa and her journey with her mother and the other women in her family’s past, with her deep loneliness, with her “gift” of memories and with her beautiful friendship and love for her friend Mbui. Jentrix was a beautiful character who deserved more and same with the cafe owner. This is the first magical realism book I’ve read set in Kenya, my motherland, and it was one im unlikely to forget. Warnings: this is very death centric and mentions a lot of death in detail and also speaks about loneliness in a way that aaaaches.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, and Child death
Minor: Rape and Violence