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Two sisters in Africa. One becomes the wife of a white man who rounds up slaves. And the other is captured as a slave.
Each chapter moves forward a generation for each sister, like a collection of powerful short stories shifting on a timeline. We quickly become connected to the terrible dramas in the lives of the sisters' descendants. The stories are little immersive experiences into places and times and difficulties seldom previously shared with readers.
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Each chapter moves forward a generation for each sister, like a collection of powerful short stories shifting on a timeline. We quickly become connected to the terrible dramas in the lives of the sisters' descendants. The stories are little immersive experiences into places and times and difficulties seldom previously shared with readers.
...more
3.5 stars. This is not a casual read. The structure of the book is very different, moving down through all the generations of two separated branches of a family since the 18th century. Gyasi's writing is beautiful and powerful. The book is intense and emotionally demanding, sometimes outright bruising and painful. Took me two tries to make it through, but it was worth it.
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Incredible story-loved the ending.
sadness prevails. I did like the way Gyasi brought it all together in the end.
Loved this book. It hits on so many emotions. Amazing debut work. Can't wait for more.
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Excellent debut novel by 26-year old Yaa Gyasi. A family saga spanning seven generations that starts in the eighteenth-century with two half sisters born in different tribal villages in West Africa in Ghana and ends in present day in the U.S. Each set of chapters is a snapshot of key experiences in the lives of the half sisters and then of a descendant of each sister in the subsequent generations. Each chapter is more like a short story. Gyasi covers the slave trade, British colonization, slaver
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Homegoing is a fantastic read. I wasn’t quite sure when I started and first realized that each chapter followed a new character. But Gyasi’s ability to make you care about each character in such a short period of time is profound, and the central themes - loss, displacement, searching for connection - really draw you through the book. There’s so much to think about here - how the experiences of slavery, colonialism and racism come back to haunt generations on both continents. I was surprised by
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Apr 14, 2020
Lisa of Hopewell
marked it as to-read
Reminded of this book here: https://whimsypages.wordpress.com/202...
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Sep 19, 2016
Snowtulip
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Nov 11, 2018
Jamie
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Jun 23, 2019
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May 26, 2020
Grace
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Jul 02, 2020
Theresa Wright
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Sep 11, 2020
marianne
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Jan 16, 2021
Amber
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