"He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart" (176).

Chinua Achabe is great at creating a captivating narrative; that became really clear really fast. Things Fall Apart reads like an immersive fable with remarkably interesting characters. Largely, I found this to be a story about dealing with societal change. You can reach the peak of society, but unless you are able to adapt to changing rules, you will be left struggling to thrive or even survive.

Ukonkwo, the story's protagonist, is able to economically and socially surpass his father Unkoka who he describes as, "...lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow" (4). His accomplishments are largely earned by being physically tough and hard; Ukonkwo does not readily show emotion and looks down on the those he considers to be weak. He belittles empathy and sympathy as being "feminine," scoffing at these sentiments as they are inherently contrary to how he earned his success, and so are innately contrary to his worldview.

Then, as the title would suggest, things fall apart. Okonkwo's stubborn arrogance leads to a very poor decision(s), followed by some poor luck, and he finds himself exiled to his maternal grandfather's village. During this period of uncertainty, European missionaries arrive and further upend the status quo. Now, these hard masculine traits that had once served Ukunkwo so well, prove to be detrimental in this newly emerging world.

Ultimately, while I really loved the narrative, I pretty much hated the character Ukunkwo. Without getting into spoilers, his treatment of his family is pretty horrendous. I really tried to understand the character's motivations within their cultural context, but there are certain actions I could not defend in a "protagonist." Even now I keep oscillating between loving and hating different elements of the book.

That said, I definitely recommend this one; read and decide for yourself.