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A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma
4.5
‘If the prey do not produce their version of the tale, the predators will always be the heroes in the stories of the hunt.’ —Igbo proverb
If you are looking for a straightforward narrative with an unambiguous ending, this is unlikely to be the novel for you. On the other hand, if you are receptive to Igbo cosmology, are happy to navigate uncertainty and can simultaneously admire a character’s courage while regretting (some of) his choices, you may enjoy this challenging read as much as I did.
‘I stand here before you, as bold as a king’s tongue, to plead my host’s cause, knowing you will hear my voice—’
In the Igbo cosmology, each being has a guardian spirit, a chi. A chi has been through many cycles of reincarnation and is aware of earthly challenges. This chi, our narrator, is currently hosted by Chinonso Solomon Olisa. And it is Chinonso’s life and choices under review as his chi appeals to Chukwu, the creator of all, that Chinonso’s commission of a grave crime was unknowing.
We are taken through Chinonso’s (Nonso’s) life. We learn how Nonso, a young poultry farmer in Umuahia, Nigeria, prevents the suicide of Ndali Obialor. A later chance meeting draws the two of them together. Ndali, well-educated and the daughter of wealthy parents, falls in love. Her parents apparently have no objection to his lowly status, but education matters. Nonso sells most of his possessions to travel to Cyprus to obtain a degree. Ndali does not want him to go.
Nonso’s odyssey involves many challenges, obstacles and tribulations. How much of what happens is fated, how much is a consequence of free will? I kept reading, shifting my view with each twist in the tale. I tried to keep sight of Ndali as the story unfolded but, as for Nonso himself, my view was restricted by the circumstances. I wondered whether Nonso would find his way home, and what he might find if he did.
It took me a while to fall in with the pace of this novel, to accept a foreign (to me) cosmology, to accept this relationship between fate and free will. I struggle with the doctrine of determinism (most of the time), and yet I cannot reject it absolutely. And for Nonso, luck does not seem to be part of the equation of life.
I finished the novel full of admiration for the writing but still wondering …
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
If you are looking for a straightforward narrative with an unambiguous ending, this is unlikely to be the novel for you. On the other hand, if you are receptive to Igbo cosmology, are happy to navigate uncertainty and can simultaneously admire a character’s courage while regretting (some of) his choices, you may enjoy this challenging read as much as I did.
‘I stand here before you, as bold as a king’s tongue, to plead my host’s cause, knowing you will hear my voice—’
In the Igbo cosmology, each being has a guardian spirit, a chi. A chi has been through many cycles of reincarnation and is aware of earthly challenges. This chi, our narrator, is currently hosted by Chinonso Solomon Olisa. And it is Chinonso’s life and choices under review as his chi appeals to Chukwu, the creator of all, that Chinonso’s commission of a grave crime was unknowing.
We are taken through Chinonso’s (Nonso’s) life. We learn how Nonso, a young poultry farmer in Umuahia, Nigeria, prevents the suicide of Ndali Obialor. A later chance meeting draws the two of them together. Ndali, well-educated and the daughter of wealthy parents, falls in love. Her parents apparently have no objection to his lowly status, but education matters. Nonso sells most of his possessions to travel to Cyprus to obtain a degree. Ndali does not want him to go.
Nonso’s odyssey involves many challenges, obstacles and tribulations. How much of what happens is fated, how much is a consequence of free will? I kept reading, shifting my view with each twist in the tale. I tried to keep sight of Ndali as the story unfolded but, as for Nonso himself, my view was restricted by the circumstances. I wondered whether Nonso would find his way home, and what he might find if he did.
It took me a while to fall in with the pace of this novel, to accept a foreign (to me) cosmology, to accept this relationship between fate and free will. I struggle with the doctrine of determinism (most of the time), and yet I cannot reject it absolutely. And for Nonso, luck does not seem to be part of the equation of life.
I finished the novel full of admiration for the writing but still wondering …
Jennifer Cameron-Smith