HOMEGOING
12:52 PMYAA GYASI
Firstly, a major shout out to my cousin Mistura who bought me this book as a Christmas present from LA - grazie mille e ti amo! Honestly such an amazing gift because yes, I do love reading but it was also around this time that I was inspired to create this blog, keep track of what I am reading and hopefully get a conversation going. Being the weirdo I am, I was also super excited about the American yellow sunset cover which is different to the familiar orange hardback published here in the UK that you may well have seen or own. HOMEGOING is YAA GYASI's first novel, at 26 years old she has really taken everyone by storm with this spectacular introduction to her literary world.
Where do I even begin? What a phenomenal piece of literature. All I can say is this book is a must-read! One that explores the African diaspora along with pain, love, heritage, culture and to me, most importantly the beauty of fate. GYASI drew her inspiration from a trip she took to Ghana in 2009 where she visited Cape Coast Castle - the castle where the British lived and which slaves where held. This historical fiction is so well thought out. She tells the story of two half sisters that are born into different villages unaware of one another. Without giving too much away, it follows the parallel paths of both sisters and their descendants through eight generations; moving from the Gold Coast eighteenth century Ghana to Mississippi plantations to the American Civil War and the Jazz Age. Each chapter adds - and this is vital for me in what makes a great book because after each chapter I felt moved - whether that be towards sadness, anger, hope or happiness - it truly is beautifully articulated and full of emotion.
Initially, I was somewhat thrown after reading the first chapter and realising there was only one chapter for each generation. Which in hindsight, I probably just couldn't fathom how one chapter was enough... but after reading the second chapter, I had changed my mind and was drawn in completely. GYASI is able to capture everything needed to feel complete when moving on to the next character, all whilst continuing to draw links, threading storylines together and furthermore towards the bigger picture of it all. With the links from one generation to the next, GYASI uses the passing on of gifts as well as trauma and the importance of inheritance from our ancestors as a way to thread the storyline together; which in some ways is critical in understanding the characters and how they develop.
In an interview with Refinery29 (which I will link below), GYASI touches on the absurdity of racism referencing the chapter on Willie and Robert's life in Harlem. Even though Robert is a black man, he is treated with white privilege because he resembles a white man. When he realises he could live a different life if he didn't let people know the whole truth, he is put in a difficult predicament. To stay or to leave?
"Slavery was a million years ago, why does it matter today?" This book answers this question by showing the struggle that black people went through and still experience to this day. The meaning of HOMEGOING is taken from an old African-American belief that death allowed an enslaved person's spirit to travel back to Africa and becoming aware of this helped me to appreciate the sense of empowerment in African heritage because throughout the book to me, the black necklace signified the notion of the family still being together in spirit.
ANYWHO, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who like me, loves a book that tells an amazing and moving story. Take a look at the interview if you have time, quite inspiring.
RATING: 5/5
Firstly, a major shout out to my cousin Mistura who bought me this book as a Christmas present from LA - grazie mille e ti amo! Honestly such an amazing gift because yes, I do love reading but it was also around this time that I was inspired to create this blog, keep track of what I am reading and hopefully get a conversation going. Being the weirdo I am, I was also super excited about the American yellow sunset cover which is different to the familiar orange hardback published here in the UK that you may well have seen or own. HOMEGOING is YAA GYASI's first novel, at 26 years old she has really taken everyone by storm with this spectacular introduction to her literary world.
Where do I even begin? What a phenomenal piece of literature. All I can say is this book is a must-read! One that explores the African diaspora along with pain, love, heritage, culture and to me, most importantly the beauty of fate. GYASI drew her inspiration from a trip she took to Ghana in 2009 where she visited Cape Coast Castle - the castle where the British lived and which slaves where held. This historical fiction is so well thought out. She tells the story of two half sisters that are born into different villages unaware of one another. Without giving too much away, it follows the parallel paths of both sisters and their descendants through eight generations; moving from the Gold Coast eighteenth century Ghana to Mississippi plantations to the American Civil War and the Jazz Age. Each chapter adds - and this is vital for me in what makes a great book because after each chapter I felt moved - whether that be towards sadness, anger, hope or happiness - it truly is beautifully articulated and full of emotion.
Initially, I was somewhat thrown after reading the first chapter and realising there was only one chapter for each generation. Which in hindsight, I probably just couldn't fathom how one chapter was enough... but after reading the second chapter, I had changed my mind and was drawn in completely. GYASI is able to capture everything needed to feel complete when moving on to the next character, all whilst continuing to draw links, threading storylines together and furthermore towards the bigger picture of it all. With the links from one generation to the next, GYASI uses the passing on of gifts as well as trauma and the importance of inheritance from our ancestors as a way to thread the storyline together; which in some ways is critical in understanding the characters and how they develop.
In an interview with Refinery29 (which I will link below), GYASI touches on the absurdity of racism referencing the chapter on Willie and Robert's life in Harlem. Even though Robert is a black man, he is treated with white privilege because he resembles a white man. When he realises he could live a different life if he didn't let people know the whole truth, he is put in a difficult predicament. To stay or to leave?
"Slavery was a million years ago, why does it matter today?" This book answers this question by showing the struggle that black people went through and still experience to this day. The meaning of HOMEGOING is taken from an old African-American belief that death allowed an enslaved person's spirit to travel back to Africa and becoming aware of this helped me to appreciate the sense of empowerment in African heritage because throughout the book to me, the black necklace signified the notion of the family still being together in spirit.
ANYWHO, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who like me, loves a book that tells an amazing and moving story. Take a look at the interview if you have time, quite inspiring.
RATING: 5/5
3 comments
Seems like it has some similar themes to Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) in the way in which it brings these issues of race and identity to focus while cleverly storytelling. Great review Tinu, this'll definitely be added to my list to read!
ReplyDeleteP
P! Thanks so much for commenting I saw the email and got super excited haha! I have heard great things about Americanah... after going to Chimamanda's talk for WOW Festival in March, I felt very inspired to read more of her work! Let me know what you think of it when you get round to reading it
DeleteTINU xxx
I am sold too, defo reading this book- will let you know what I think.
ReplyDeleteLwiza