A review by robforteath
God's Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène

4.0

Very much like Steinbeck, in both style and theme. It is at its best when depicting the breakdown of ordinary life during the struggle. The reader is never in any doubt as to whether or not the strike will succeed (just as viewers of "Titanic" never wonder if the ship will make it to New York); the real story is in how different characters deal with it.

The novel does a very good job of showing life under colonialism, without ever idealising or demonising either side. Even the best and worst characters are written as humans.