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A review by anathereader8
Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The story begins with Ikirezi, a young Rwandan woman, who was healed as a child by Sister Deborah, a healer with mystical powers coming from the Spirit. She recalls what she can remember about this figure, and later on in life, comes to Rwanda in search of the truth about Deborah.
Sister Deborah is a short but strong novel discovering the colonialism, christening and feminism in Rwanda at the verge of 19-20 centuries.
The novel has four chapters divided by the main events among which the first turned out to be confusing to me with all the spirits’ names, society ladder terms in Kinyarwanda and multiple narratives about the characters, the village. I lacked the knowledge of Rwanda, its culture and the history, so to fill out the gap I googled what I could to understand the story’s background on a deeper level. This effort helped immensely and I could navigate through the Sister Deborah’s story easily.
While reading, I had a feeling that the story wasn’t created by Scholastique Mukasonga but retold what she witnessed herself. I admire such writing skills as not everyone is capable of it.
I found the novel to be plot-driven however Sister Deborah herself developed dramatically—we follow her from the childhood in the US to the adolescence and adulthood in Rwanda exploring the painful truths of life with her.
Sister Deborah is for those who love exploring new cultures, observe their challenges throughout history; for those who love mystic stories, strong female characters. I should also mention the depth of baptism evolved in the plot as it plays major key in its development, so if you’re triggered by religion, Sister Deborah might not be a right fit for you.
I’m grateful to Archipelago for providing an early copy of Sister Deborah via NetGalley. It was a pleasure getting acquainted with Scholastique Mukasonga’s work. Sister Deborah’s English edition is released on October 29.
Sister Deborah is a short but strong novel discovering the colonialism, christening and feminism in Rwanda at the verge of 19-20 centuries.
The novel has four chapters divided by the main events among which the first turned out to be confusing to me with all the spirits’ names, society ladder terms in Kinyarwanda and multiple narratives about the characters, the village. I lacked the knowledge of Rwanda, its culture and the history, so to fill out the gap I googled what I could to understand the story’s background on a deeper level. This effort helped immensely and I could navigate through the Sister Deborah’s story easily.
While reading, I had a feeling that the story wasn’t created by Scholastique Mukasonga but retold what she witnessed herself. I admire such writing skills as not everyone is capable of it.
I found the novel to be plot-driven however Sister Deborah herself developed dramatically—we follow her from the childhood in the US to the adolescence and adulthood in Rwanda exploring the painful truths of life with her.
Sister Deborah is for those who love exploring new cultures, observe their challenges throughout history; for those who love mystic stories, strong female characters. I should also mention the depth of baptism evolved in the plot as it plays major key in its development, so if you’re triggered by religion, Sister Deborah might not be a right fit for you.
I’m grateful to Archipelago for providing an early copy of Sister Deborah via NetGalley. It was a pleasure getting acquainted with Scholastique Mukasonga’s work. Sister Deborah’s English edition is released on October 29.