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A review by vicg_b31
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
5.0
This was perfection. It was everything I love about the historical fiction genre and more. I’m obsessed with Gyasi’s prose, and it actually reminded me a lot of Anita Diamant’s, who is one of my favorite authors.
Three things I love, that this book did amazingly:
1. Parallel storylines (that eventually connect)
2. Novels that span decades of time
3. Generations of the same family
We start with half-sisters from what is now Ghana at the height of European colonization and slave trade, one of whom is wedded to an English officer and whose line predominantly stays in colonized Africa, while the other is captured and sold into slavery with her line growing up in the American South. We get every piece of tragedy, and pain, and loss, while also feeling beauty, and connection, and joy. Gyasi pulled no punches and effortlessly created moments for every emotion you can think of.
The structure of this novel was also so satisfying and a real highlight - Gyasi alternated back and forth between the descendants of each sister, moving in chronological order through history, and each chapter was dedicated to a new character. I was able to feel so connected to and invested in a multitude of different characters, while also knowing that when their chapter ended, I had to deal with missing them and knowing I was done with their story (and if I wanted to know how their story ended, it would only be told through the lens of the descendant after them, if at all). It means there were some questions I never got answered, but for the first time maybe ever as a reader, I was okay with that.
Gyasi’s prose had a great pace to it and felt like it was pulling you along through the timeline, showing the big picture, and then stopping for a second to zoom in on a particular scene before zooming back out and continuing on our way. I lovvvve writing like that (again why I love and felt a connection to Diamant’s work) because you get so much information in such a quick period of time, without sacrificing any of the emotional impact or connection to characters.
I can’t say enough good about this book - I went to bed thinking about it and woke up excited to keep reading it.
Three things I love, that this book did amazingly:
1. Parallel storylines (that eventually connect)
2. Novels that span decades of time
3. Generations of the same family
We start with half-sisters from what is now Ghana at the height of European colonization and slave trade, one of whom is wedded to an English officer and whose line predominantly stays in colonized Africa, while the other is captured and sold into slavery with her line growing up in the American South. We get every piece of tragedy, and pain, and loss, while also feeling beauty, and connection, and joy. Gyasi pulled no punches and effortlessly created moments for every emotion you can think of.
The structure of this novel was also so satisfying and a real highlight - Gyasi alternated back and forth between the descendants of each sister, moving in chronological order through history, and each chapter was dedicated to a new character. I was able to feel so connected to and invested in a multitude of different characters, while also knowing that when their chapter ended, I had to deal with missing them and knowing I was done with their story (and if I wanted to know how their story ended, it would only be told through the lens of the descendant after them, if at all). It means there were some questions I never got answered, but for the first time maybe ever as a reader, I was okay with that.
Gyasi’s prose had a great pace to it and felt like it was pulling you along through the timeline, showing the big picture, and then stopping for a second to zoom in on a particular scene before zooming back out and continuing on our way. I lovvvve writing like that (again why I love and felt a connection to Diamant’s work) because you get so much information in such a quick period of time, without sacrificing any of the emotional impact or connection to characters.
I can’t say enough good about this book - I went to bed thinking about it and woke up excited to keep reading it.