Maybe it was because I was reading Milan Kundera's IDENTITY and George Saunders' PASTORALIA at the same time as I was reading this - how much more div...moreMaybe it was because I was reading Milan Kundera's IDENTITY and George Saunders' PASTORALIA at the same time as I was reading this - how much more divergent can one get, after all, than those three? - but something about PURPLE HIBISCUS rubbed me the wrong way. It's descriptions overwhelm the story and, in a country of much complexity, it seems that people are reduced to a metaphorical black and white. The daughter, Kambili, is used to highlight the "good" that the brutal, abusive father does in the community but there is no real sympathy there, only words. Life over at her aunt's house is almost comically cliched with its laughter and freedom and happily surmounted miseries; poverty is never quite as joyful as it is made to seem in this book.
I wonder if Adichie was trying to replicate the subjugation of independent thought which comes swift on the heels of religious fundamentalism by making her otherwise smart and observant heroine spout the platitudes she does - about her father - along with her praises to the Lord. But even if she was, it seems utterly incomprehensible that the young girl who rubs lipstick on her mouth and yearns to press her body into that of the priest's and, in fact, declares her love for him, would continue, in her internal monologues, to revere her violent father.
The only person who appears to have been transformed is Kambili's brother, Jaja, whose evolution is traced lightly and, therefore, is ultimately believable. (less)
I ended up reading Identity because I bought it as a gift for a friend. It was a pre-gift read. Identity is like reading a movie aloud. The pictures a...moreI ended up reading Identity because I bought it as a gift for a friend. It was a pre-gift read. Identity is like reading a movie aloud. The pictures are there, the characters move and dream and shape-shift, and startlingly painful realizations flood the mind and the pain is eased by equally startling tenderness. (less)
That a white Jewish man can write poetry that resonates with a brown Sri Lankan woman; this is a beautiful thing. It affirms, for me, the transforming...moreThat a white Jewish man can write poetry that resonates with a brown Sri Lankan woman; this is a beautiful thing. It affirms, for me, the transforming power of words.(less)
I have read so much fiction from this particular part of the world though none, I confess, from Malaysia. This book caps them all. The language is per...moreI have read so much fiction from this particular part of the world though none, I confess, from Malaysia. This book caps them all. The language is perfect line by line and as it serves the story. The characters believable and the author's empathy complete and unconditional. I wish it had won the Orange Prize. It deserved it. (less)
I love this book for the way it captures the very specific details of Danticat's life, but not so much as a book with a longer-lasting shelf life. If ...moreI love this book for the way it captures the very specific details of Danticat's life, but not so much as a book with a longer-lasting shelf life. If she weren't who she is, how would I hold on to the words? I'm not sure. (less)
This is the best collection of stories that I have read on the subject of war and survival. It should be essential reading for all young men and women...moreThis is the best collection of stories that I have read on the subject of war and survival. It should be essential reading for all young men and women - before they graduate from High School. (less)
I loved the first half of this book and was disappointed by the second half. In many ways I could see where editorial direction had infused the story ...moreI loved the first half of this book and was disappointed by the second half. In many ways I could see where editorial direction had infused the story with irrelevant details. It would have scored better without that. (less)
This is one of my favorite Beauvoir books. I read it when I was about seventeen years old and felt its insights seep into my skin with a keenness I ha...moreThis is one of my favorite Beauvoir books. I read it when I was about seventeen years old and felt its insights seep into my skin with a keenness I have yet to come across in any other book of its kind. (less)
This is one of my favorite books. I read it years ago - more than a decade now - and its good sense, its story, its small and large tragedies have rem...moreThis is one of my favorite books. I read it years ago - more than a decade now - and its good sense, its story, its small and large tragedies have remained very much a part of my thoughts, informing my own sense of the world in which we live and the worlds among which we move, both internal and external. It should have won the Booker that year. (less)
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