A review by athenameilahn
Le Ventre de L'Atlantique by Fatou Diome

3.0

I read this book from the perspective of my profession, rather than for pleasure. I wouldn't have enjoyed it as a pleasure read. The story didn't hold my interest and the character development of the narrator and her brother was shallow for my taste. However, I'm a professor of French and Francophone literature, so as I read the book I was evaluating it's potential to be included in an upcoming course on social issues in literature. From this perspective, it was a worthwhile read. The themes Diome addresses are exactly those that I want my students to grapple with in the course: racism, gender roles, the pitfalls of being an immigrant, the negative effects of colonization and globalization, etc. While Diome's challenging vocabulary and the lack of significant action would make it difficult to teach, I think discussing narrative strategies like sharing myriad perspectives of Senegal and France through two central characters, the recurring motifs, and the tension that results from communicating with her brother in short phone calls, could all be really effective.