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Redemption in Indigo

by Karen Lord (Goodreads Author)

3.94 · rating details · 193 ratings · 50 reviews

Karen Lord’s debut novel is an intricately woven tale of adventure, magic, and the power of the human spirit. Paama’s husband is a fool and a glutton. Bad enough that he followed her to her parents’ home in the village of Makendha—now he’s disgraced himself by murdering livestock and stealing corn. When Paama leaves him for good, she attracts the attention of the undying o...more

Paperback, 200 pages

Published August 1st 2010 by Small Beer Press (first published July 6th 2010)

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Dec 31, 2011

Amanda rated it

What a lukewarm cup of "meh." After all of the stellar reviews, I just knew this was going to be ah-may-zing, but, alas, it's basically a fable. Ever since Paulo Coelho's New Agey-craptastic The Alchemist, me + fables = nervous twitch. Because I start to develop a Community's Jeff Winger like aversion to the feeling that someone's trying to teach me something--and I never learn anything! This didn't really turn out to be as didactic as The Alchemist because it seemed more focused on...moreWhat a lukewarm cup of "meh." After all of the stellar reviews, I just knew this was going to be ah-may-zing, but, alas, it's basically a fable. Ever since Paulo Coelho's New Agey-craptastic The Alchemist, me + fables = nervous twitch. Because I start to develop a Community's Jeff Winger like aversion to the feeling that someone's trying to teach me something--and I never learn anything! This didn't really turn out to be as didactic as The Alchemist because it seemed more focused on the storytelling than on the lesson, but just waiting for that other moral-of-the-story shoe to fall was mentally exhausting.

The basic premise of the story is that the deity known as Chance has become hardened toward mankind. Over the years, he has watched as men have squandered second chances and made a mockery or waste of the gift that is life. For this reason, the other gods no longer trust him with the Chaos Stick, the instrument of chance to nudge events toward a certain probability. The Chaos Stick is stolen from Chance and given to a woman named Paama who has proven herself to be kind, patient, and impervious to the suggestions of the minor Trickster deities who sometimes inhabit the bodies of insects and stir up mischief whenever possible. When Chance discovers Paama has his power, he sets about trying to get it back.

The story was marginally entertaining and it was at least a quick read, but even at that the plot seemed to drag on. This is not necessarily a criticism of Lord as the book does what it's intended to do: mimic the narrative style of a traditional storyteller who is in no hurry to get to the end of the story and is even eager to follow parallel narratives to their endings before bringing the main story to a close. I suppose this storytelling style had a certain charm when villagers gathered around the campfire each night to listen to the newest installment of the tale (it's not like there was tv to watch or books to read, so I guess sitting in the dark and listening to an old man ramble on was the cat's pajamas after a long day of running from lions and whatnot). However, this meandering quality did not translate well into written form for me as I expected it to be more cohesive and more to the point. The plot itself was like a dog chasing rabbits in the middle of a hunt, and the characters were fairly uninteresting and one-dimensional (except for Paama, and even she was bland). Again, all of this is as it should be for a fable. What I've really learned from this reading experience is that fables and I need to break up and maybe see other people. Don't look at me like that, fables--it's not me, it's you.(less)

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Dec 21, 2011

Fellshot rated it

Shelves: fantasy-strangenesses

I love small conventions because I always end up with new additions to my list of things I really want to read. This was one of the books I picked up as a direct result.

Redemption in Indigo is about a woman named Paama who hasn't had a particularly pleasant few years. A few of the djombi (big and little spirits of varying disposition) decide to entrust a very special item to her. Another one of the djombi, the Indigo Lord, wants it back.

I really loved the style of prose. The ...more

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Apr 18, 2011

Ranting Dragon rated it

Shelves: michael

http://www.rantingdragon.com/redemption-...

Redemption in Indigo is the debut novel from Barbadian writer Karen Lord (I did have to Google how to refer to someone from Barbados). It has won several literary awards that are unfamiliar to me, including the Crawford Award for best fantasy novel by a new writer. Redemption in Indigo was also chosen as one of Amazon’s Top 10 science fiction and fantasy books of 2010 and has been nominated for the Locus Award.

I feel woefully un...more

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Oct 15, 2011

Annie rated it

I love novels that are based on fairy tales, but it's rare to see one inspired by African folk legends. This really is a fantastic example of how to write a fairy tale for grown-ups. It's in the style of the Anansi stories I read as a kid, but the main character is a heroine with grown-up problems. She's a practical woman who is on the run after being tricked into a disastrous marriage to a man made idiotic by his hunger. Life becomes even more complicated when she is given a cooking implement t...more

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Aug 19, 2010

Eris rated it

Recommends it for: lovers of the fable and the folktale

This unassuming volume will tickle your brain and pull you back compulsively even though you may believe you know what is going to happen next. Paama is an honest woman of infuriating integrity, strong yet almost invisible in her simplicity. She seeks not fame nor fortune, and when given the opportunity to give a lesson to those who are unkind she seems to choose kindness to her detriment.

This retelling of a folktale weaves a rich tapestry of archetypes, most of which immediately fa...more

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Jan 10, 2011

Zen rated it

Shelves: written-by-poc, sff

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 17, 2012

Nancy O'Toole rated it

Shelves: book-club, fantasy

Paama has grown tired of her husband Asigne’s gluttonous nature and selfish attitude, leading her to seek asylum at her parent’s home. Then Asigne arrives in town and plunges her life into chaos. Eventually, Paama manages to rid herself from him for good, but not without attracting the attention of the mischievous djombi, who see her as a perfect wielder for The Chaos Stick. Only the Chaos Stick’s former owner is not happy with this, and will do anything to get it back.

I have read pl...morePaama has grown tired of her husband Asigne’s gluttonous nature and selfish attitude, leading her to seek asylum at her parent’s home. Then Asigne arrives in town and plunges her life into chaos. Eventually, Paama manages to rid herself from him for good, but not without attracting the attention of the mischievous djombi, who see her as a perfect wielder for The Chaos Stick. Only the Chaos Stick’s former owner is not happy with this, and will do anything to get it back.

I have read plenty of novels that draw their inspiration from folk tales or fairy tales, but never one quite like Redemption in Indigo. This is due to the fact that the story was inspired by Senegalese folklore, a topic I am admittedly quite ignorant of. As a result, reading Redemption in Indigo was an informative experience on top of being a pleasurable one, as I was able to learn a little bit about the culture of another part of the world. The first thing that grabbed me about Redemption in Indigo is it’s use of an omniscient narrator. The lively voice chosen here is reminiscent of a storyteller, a decision that I find really suits folklore inspired tales, which often find their roots in oral tradition. The tone of the book mostly lighthearted, despite some dark moments, and is filled with satisfying humor. I often found myself smiling or laughing aloud, especially in the early chapters which focused on the problems that Asigne kept on creating for himself. The pace moves along quite briskly, making it a relatively quick read. There is also a lot more story than you’d expect to find in a novel of less than 200 pages.

Paama is a very clever, well drawn heroine. I found her reactions to many of the events in the novel to be very realistic. When something happens that is frightening, she reacts appropriately in fear. Interesting, I did not find these moments of weakness to weaken her as a character at all. Beyond Paama, Redemption in Indigo has it’s fair share of interesting and tough female characters, which I always enjoy. I also liked how she chose to develop the villains of the piece. Asigne, for example, is able to illicit both laughter for his silly actions, as well as sympathy. My one complaint about the book is that I wanted to view the setting a little more. Because of the quick natured writing, we don’t get to linger on the world around our characters very often. As a result, I struggled to visualize it at times.

Redemption in Indigo is a short and satisfying novel starring a likable heroine. I enjoyed the humorous tone of the novel, as well as getting to learn more about the folklore of a culture that I am not familiar with. I look forward to reading other books by Karen Lord in the future.(less)

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Jan 20, 2012

Mark Webb rated it

Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord is a fable, complete with narration by an all knowing story teller. The story is based on African mythology and tells the story of Paama, an escapee of an unhappy marriage who returns to her parent's village. Her talents as a chef are prodigious and her husband, an incorrigible glutton and a general all round fool, follows her to try and compel her return.

At the same time all this is happening, the spirits of this world (the djombi or undying ones) ha...moreRedemption in Indigo by Karen Lord is a fable, complete with narration by an all knowing story teller. The story is based on African mythology and tells the story of Paama, an escapee of an unhappy marriage who returns to her parent's village. Her talents as a chef are prodigious and her husband, an incorrigible glutton and a general all round fool, follows her to try and compel her return.

At the same time all this is happening, the spirits of this world (the djombi or undying ones) have stripped one of their more powerful brethren of the power of chaos, and gifted that power to Paama. The main thread of the story chronicles the effort of the spirit to recover his power from Paama and Paama's reaction to having the power of chaos at her command.

The style of the novel was interesting and it was a quick read, with the story moving along at a good pace. The writing is lovely, but I must admit I didn't feel a great degree of connection with any of the characters, so I found myself admiring the book at an intellectual level, but not really caring about the outcome.

I don't know anything about African folklore, so I found the exploration of the world of the djombi fascinating. The complex interactions between the various spirits that was hinted at through the book were tantalising, and I would have been very interested in hearing more about that side of the world.

I get the sense that there might have been more layers of meaning in the novel than I am giving it credit for. Certainly there was a strong sense of characters, both human and djombi, learning lessons, rehabilitating and reconciling. To be honest I'm not a huge fan of being beaten over the head with morality - fortunately the lessons were weaved into the story with enough skill that I wasn't completely thrown out of the narrative. Still, the story was driven more by an exploration of characters than a strong plot. This tendency, combined with my lack of emotional connection with the characters, was enough to dampen my enthusiasm for the novel.

I read this novel as a result of it being the subject of one of my favourite podcasts, The Writer and the Critic, this month (January 2012).

I also reviewed this book on my website.
(less)

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Jun 17, 2010

Sarah Keliher rated it

Shelves: bigger-on-the-inside-than-out, lit, read2010, sfthatdoesntsuck, small-beer-press, sf-fantasy-general, bestof2010

This book gives you exactly the same feeling of enchantment you get from listening to a really great storyteller, which is a very hard thing to capture in print. It's got all the right pauses and asides, the right amounts of humor and suspense and romance and intrigue, and an uplifting but uncheesy moral. Absolutely magical.

like 2 likes

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Aug 27, 2011

Gerri Leen rated it

Shelves: will-look-for-this-author-again

Oh, wow. It's easy to see why this book is up for a World Fantasy Award. It's different and charming, meandering around points but giving you more than enough information that when you circle back, you know why you got that seemingly irrelevant story. It's folksy, and ethnic in a way that's not done to death. The characters are memorable, the smiles many. It's just...delightful. And I don't want to ruin it for anyone by giving too much away.

One criticism. And for me, it's the d...more

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Dec 09, 2010

Bookmarks Magazine rated it

Shelves: jan-feb-2011

Voices like Karen Lord's -- ones that ring with a crystal clarity -- are rare and always worth listening to, even though sometimes they don't get a fair hearing. But as the Seattle Times points out, "The contest between small independent presses and huge media conglomerates could be won because the little guys are able to take big chances." Lord is a rising talent, and her debut brings the passion and energy of the storyteller's art to the page. The novel's conclusion may be drawn a bi...more

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Sep 16, 2010

Kimmylou rated it

Recommends it for: ANYONE

This book is sooo GOOD; I am so surprised because I did the worst thing possible when picking it to read, judging a book by its cover! This time it paid off, the characters are so real; I kept catching myself talking out loud while reading! The flow of was very smooth, the story was intriguing! The author is a true Griot with extra personality, even if I am partial to Anansi stories or any that include him. The main character Paama is spunky, smart and thoughtful. I love this book ! So I will sh...more

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Sep 25, 2011

shati rated it

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 07, 2011

TheBookSmugglers rated it

There is a point in Redemption in Indigo when the omniscient narrator says that “tales are meant to be an inspiration, not a substitute”. It is a meaningful line and one that sticks around longer than expected. It is one line among many others within this novel that provokes the reader and stimulates a certain level of engagement about the nature of storytelling and reader’s expectation. It is also an appropriately self-descriptive line because Redemption in Indigo is inspiring.

The sto...moreThere is a point in Redemption in Indigo when the omniscient narrator says that “tales are meant to be an inspiration, not a substitute”. It is a meaningful line and one that sticks around longer than expected. It is one line among many others within this novel that provokes the reader and stimulates a certain level of engagement about the nature of storytelling and reader’s expectation. It is also an appropriately self-descriptive line because Redemption in Indigo is inspiring.

The story draws inspiration from a folk tale from Senegal about a heroine named Paama. Her story though is only but a starting point for Karen Lord to construct her own fantastical tale – one that includes djombi (spirits that are mainly personifications of ideas or forces such as change or patience), tricksters and a stick that can control the forces of chaos.

Paama is a wonderful cook and her husband Ansige is a glutton. You would think theirs is a match made in heaven but Ansige’s gluttony is accompanied by intolerance, arrogance and stupidity and finally after years of endurance, Paama leaves Ansige. Two years later, the man is finally moved to go in search of his wife, finding Paama living with her parents in her childhood home. Ansige’s penchant to get into silly situations and create a myriad of problems is equivalent only to Paama’s awesome efficiency with dealing with them. It is this mixture of endurance and brilliance that brings Paama to the attention of a djombi in search of someone to carry the Chaos Stick after it was seized from its previous owner – another djombi with indigo skin who misused its power but still insists he is its rightful owner and will do anything in his power to get it back.

What ensues is an extremely elaborate tale that deals with very human feelings against the backdrop of universal- sized problems in a sublime combination of the immediate (and short-lived) and the everlasting (and immortal). On the one hand there lies Paama and her family, their village, their prospects in life. There are dreams to be lived and love to be had as well as hurdles to be overcome. Paama is a brilliant heroine, resilient, brave, vulnerable and uncertain. This is someone who buries her tears and carries her burden and deals with her problems the best way she can.

On the other hand, the immortal djombi and the trickster watch, mingle and affect and are in turn, affected by all this humanity. The principal plot is that between the indigo djombi and Paama and their way of using (or not) the Chaos Stick. The djombi at first shows a disregard for human beings (reason of his downfall) that is equal to Paama’s esteem for them although her gaze turns out be perhaps too short-sighted which is, of course, only to be expected. It is ironic actually that this puny, short-lived human is given the stick by the personification of patience. There is an undeniable gravitas to this story and yet it is deceptively light due mostly to its narrative. As great as the story and the characters are, the omniscient narrator is what tips the scale and sets this story into awesome territory. The narrator tells this story in a way that reminisce oral traditions, that reminds of old times, that invites the reader to come closer and to listen carefully. It is a narrator that is utterly familiar and incredibly original at the same time and equal parts funny, opinionated and wise:

I told you from the very beginning that it was a story about choices – wise choices, foolish choices, small yet momentous choices – for with choices come change, and with change comes opportunity , and both change and opportunity are the very cutting edge of the power of chaos. And yet as the undying ones know and the humans too often forget, even chaos cannot overcome the power of choice.

Redemption in Indigo is a brilliant little gem of a novel, as close to perfect as storytelling can be. It is hard to believe that such an intricate tale could be told in just about 200 pages. It is even harder to believe that this is Karen Lord’s debut given how self-assured the narrative is. But it is extremely easy to see how this book has earned such well-deserved admiration, mine included. (less)

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Jan 30, 2012

M— rated it

Shelves: reviewed

I had been deeply interested in reading this an interpretation of the African folklore genre, but I found this book to be rather superficial. I had been hoping for something lush and new; I found a story awkwardly creative and stiff. As much as I wanted to applaud Lord for having a writing style so utterly different from that of the mainstream fantasy genres, her stilted approach to writing prevented me from ever immersing myself in her story. And while large part of these issues isn't so much L...more

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Jan 15, 2012

Ryan Mishap rated it

Shelves: adult-fantasy, young-adult-fantasy

What a delight to read a faerie tale that is not based on so-called Western folktale traditions! There are plenty of those already.

After one withstands the start, stop, and backtrack nature of the initial story telling*, this engaging faerie tale explores weighty themes with grace and cleverness. Read the summary and you'll be intrigued. I'm telling you that you will love this.

*The loop-de-loop narrative helps establish the idea that this is a told tale not a writte...more

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Oct 17, 2011

Tudor Ciocarlie rated it

· review of another edition

Formidable debut novel; and all in under 200 pages. I beautiful Story that will mesmerize you from the first words:
"A rival of mine once complained that my stories begin awkwardly and end untidily. I am willing to admit to many faults but I will not burden myself with that one. All my tales are true, drawn from life, and a life story is not a tidy thing."
A story about how choice and redemption may be the most important things that human beings possess.

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Jul 24, 2011

Leah Bobet rated it

This is lovely and wry and smart, and never quite takes the road well-traveled, and manages to say a lot of things about hope, despair, duty, fallibility, fairness, kindness, and how painful it can be to grow without ever in the slightest coming across as preachy or insincere.

And the last line -- the balance and implication, the way it's saying such a big thing disguised as such a small thing -- makes the whole thing perfect.

Highly recommended.

· see review

Jul 05, 2011

Claire Scott rated it

Shelves: fast-paced, funny, grown-up, love-love-love, poc-author, poc-mc, poc-diverse-cast, speculative-fiction, fairytale-c-retellings

I found this one because it had been nominated or was on an awards list, and it was a delight. Loved the authorial interjections and commentary, the story*, the characters that maintained dimensionality despite the fableish writing style, and the setting. Highly recommended!

*except that I just couldn't enjoy or really appreciate the gluttony storyline, even knowing that it was part of another folktale.

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Feb 02, 2012

Lauredhel rated it

People I know seem to love this, but it just wasn't for me (either right-now or at-all, I don't know yet). The arch voice of the omniscient narrator just ended up irritating me, the book followed characters I felt no connection with at the expense of those I did, and the impossibly-gluttonous fat man character left me cold.

I'm sure plenty of you will like it or love it, however; this isn't an anti-rec as such.

· see review

Nov 03, 2010

Bronwen Stair rated it

Shelves: fiction

Not sure quite where this should go, fiction, fantasy, storytelling? What happens: when the Gods walk around and interfere in human lives; When a god that is supposed to be helping humans to learn life lessons but instead becomes arrogant and sneering of humans, how does one control a God?, or punish a God? enjoyed this book, but I think it would be better listened to, rather than read.

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Dec 10, 2011

Meaghan rated it

Shelves: fantasy, mythology

This is a sort of folktale about a woman named Paama, her gluttonous husband, a trickster, and the spirit of chaos. I really enjoyed the way the story was written and told; however, I wasn't crazy about the story itself. Some incidents and characters are entertaining -- notably, the adventures of Paama's husband Ansige at the beginning of the novel -- but the whole was somehow kind of lacking.

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Aug 28, 2011

Seyi Onabanjo rated it

Unfolds in true "story teller" style, with enough meandering plot lines and seeming red herrings to satisfy any lovers of folklore and traditional tales. Very cool alternate universe is introduced with alternately malevolent / benign powers toying with blissfully unaware humans as chess pieces. Great characters and dialogue is mostly strong. Will definitely read this again and am happy to recommend it to fans of fantasy, folklore, drama.

· see review

May 01, 2011

Ashley rated it

Shelves: personal-fiction

The five stars say it. Folktales... are they still necessary? Or are they a part of that mystical phase in life? Either way this book is a treat set in anywhere African, the tales are simple but the story telling dynamic. Lord breaks through the fourth wall to reach out and grab the reader. Lessons like proverbs. Good for fun reading.

· see review

Nov 16, 2011

Kay rated it

Shelves: literary-fiction

Beautifully written in a spare, direct style befitting a folk tale. I don't read a lot of fantasy because I find it awfully confusing; keeping track of the unfamiliar names, places, and life forms somehow prevents me from engaging with the characters on an emotional level. However, even I could follow this tale--at least the first half--and I loved the author's prose style.

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Feb 21, 2011

ED Martin rated it

I'm not sure what to make of this book. The story was interesting, but it was confusing at times with all the jumping around that Paama did. And it was told with an omniscient narrator who frequently addressed the reader; not something I come across often.

Overall a fun quick read.

· see review

Nov 23, 2010

Sally Anne rated it

A total sleeper. Just picked this up at random while percrusing the new books at the library. Once Louise Gikow gave it the thumbs up, I jumped right in. A delightful magical realist fairy tale. I cannot recommend it enough.

· see review

Dec 09, 2010

Andrew rated it

A great deceptively simple story with lovely touches of quiet humour. Whilst I was reading it, my 84 year old father stayed for the weekend and finished it that weekend. What better review?

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Jan 02, 2012

Betsy rated it

This book is a lovely treat -- beautifully written, imaginative, and vibrant. It is a must for anyone who enjoys modern fairy tales and new folklore-like offerings.

· see review

Jan 02, 2011

Sarah rated it

This is a lovely and immensely readable book. One of my favorite parts of this book is the narrator who has a voice of his/her own. The narrator is a distinct individual separate from the story with their own sense of humor and point of view. It reminded me of the narrator in the movie God's Must Be Crazy. I think if pressed I'd classify it as a story telling/fable. On one level, the story is relatively straight forward but as with many fables the story is like an onion with layers of depth...more

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About Karen Lord

Karen Lord won the Frank Collymore Literary Award for 2008 with the manuscript of the fantasy novel Redemption in Indigo and again for 2009 with the science fiction manuscript The Best of All Possible Worlds.

Redemption in Indigo, which was published in July 2010 by Small Beer Press, won the 2011 William L. Crawford Award and the 2011 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. It wa...more

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