Reviews with content warning for Murder - How Beautiful We Were

“If not for solidarity, what would we do with all this anger.”

This stunning novel introduces a chorus of voices in the fictional town of Kosawa, where big oil company Pexton has destroyed the land and lives of the local community. Frustrated by their inability to protect their families, the people decide to take drastic action, kidnapping some of Pexton's men to demand their health and safety be taken seriously.

Starting this book felt like a punch in the gut, but the writing drew me in completely. I'm not usually one to shy away from heavy books, and I tend to feel a sense of responsibility to bear witness to the harm and exploitation "Western" countries have caused, but I knew this story wouldn't be easy. The environmental racism described here is infuriating. Mbue uses a variety of first person perspectives, but perhaps the most heart-wrenching is the collective (we) voices of the village children.

And yet... How Beautiful We Were transcends trauma. Mbue deftly explores the balance of greed, guilt, and grief that surround capitalism and colonialism. And yes, this is heavy and slow-paced but there's power in the way Mbue gives a voice to the people and plants the seeds for a better future.

How Beautiful We Were is a reminder that although the world makes me so damn angry, there’s strength in solidarity and power in resistance even when it feels futile.

Content Warnings

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Content Warnings

nikolas_fox's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad slow-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

5.0

This book is absolutely a must read. Please please read it!

Content Warnings

bandysbooks's review

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was one of those books that is incredibly sad and also based in reality, but so well written that you can’t put it down. The fictional village of Kosawa was very compelling and at points I wanted to step through the pages of the story to help them.

Content Warnings

turophile's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

What an amazing book. It’s the first up for my book club this year and I listened to it on audio. The recording was excellent. The story is told through the view point of multiple narrators, which is particularly affecting in an audio book.

It’s fiction, but one can see the parallels to real life. It’s the story of a village in Africa that was colonized first for rubber, than for oil. The extraction of oil leads to health problems in the village, with children dying and suffering other ill effects. The story focuses on how different characters react to the dominance of foreign corporations and corrupt local officials.

Such a well done book. 5/5

Content Warnings

seawarrior's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

How Beautiful We Were is a tragedy, but one that demands the reader not to feel sympathy, but to reflect on our role in the poisoning and exploitation of villages like Kosawa. Mbue pits hope and reality against each other repeatedly throughout the novel, gifting Kosawa with tiny victories the characters and reader both must learn are more akin to sedatives and insults than progress. I felt the writing throughout most of the book was illustrative and sharply observant, though there were times where it lacked detail and lagged as the novel progressed. Mbue defied my expectations with the book's ending, initially making me feel disappointed and almost angry. Yet after reflecting further, her unflinching depiction of the humanity, homelands and culture that colonialism and capitalism has stripped from our world of is more striking through use of an unsettling finale in the modern day. I would recommend this story to others, but please be warned that it pulls no punches with its descriptions of environmental degradation and the horrors that unfold in its wake.

Content Warnings

raenyreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The subject matter of this book was what drew me into reading it and I'm glad I did. I think if you don't know much about this aspect of the world its a really important read and shows how unfair the world can be. However, the jumping back and forth in timelines and points of view made this a bit boring and difficult to read as it felt like the story was progressing at a snails pace even without all the flash backs. So that's why my rating is a little lower than it would be if this was not the case.

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