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elementarymydear 's review for:
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a truly stunning novel. It’s been sat on my Kindle for a while now, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up!
Homegoing follows two branches of the same family tree across three centuries, seven generations and two continents. It’s structured as a series of chronological short stories, each one following a different family member. We start with two half-sisters in 18th Century Ghana, who have never met but whose lives take drastically different turns. One marries an influential slave trader; the other is sold as a slave and taken to America. Over the following chapters we follow their descendants through to modern day, when their respective five-times-great-grandchildren are questioning and wondering about their own family history.
Read this and more reviews on my blog!
The story structure won’t work for everyone, but I personally loved it. Each character was created so vividly, and I especially loved the difference between seeing them through their own perspectives as a young person, and then seeing them through the eyes of their descendants. Especially in the American storyline – partly because it’s a history I’m more familiar with – it really did feel like we were seeing both the immense changes of the past 250 years, and how little changed for so many people.
It’s hard for a book with such an epic scope to still feel personal and emotionally connected to the characters, but Yaa Gyasi managed it. The ending was in some ways cliché, but also unexpected and bittersweet. It was the perfect conclusion for a story like this, giving us enough closure for a satisfying ending while not overwhelming us with a wild plot appearing.
I love character-driven, plotless stories – when they’re done well. I love cross-generational stories – when they’re done well. I love cross-culture and cross-country stories – when they’re done well. This book hit all the right notes on every one! I almost regret reading it almost all in one sitting, but it was so easy to sink into the writing and not put it down until the final moment.
Homegoing follows two branches of the same family tree across three centuries, seven generations and two continents. It’s structured as a series of chronological short stories, each one following a different family member. We start with two half-sisters in 18th Century Ghana, who have never met but whose lives take drastically different turns. One marries an influential slave trader; the other is sold as a slave and taken to America. Over the following chapters we follow their descendants through to modern day, when their respective five-times-great-grandchildren are questioning and wondering about their own family history.
Read this and more reviews on my blog!
The story structure won’t work for everyone, but I personally loved it. Each character was created so vividly, and I especially loved the difference between seeing them through their own perspectives as a young person, and then seeing them through the eyes of their descendants. Especially in the American storyline – partly because it’s a history I’m more familiar with – it really did feel like we were seeing both the immense changes of the past 250 years, and how little changed for so many people.
It’s hard for a book with such an epic scope to still feel personal and emotionally connected to the characters, but Yaa Gyasi managed it. The ending was in some ways cliché, but also unexpected and bittersweet. It was the perfect conclusion for a story like this, giving us enough closure for a satisfying ending while not overwhelming us with a wild plot appearing.
I love character-driven, plotless stories – when they’re done well. I love cross-generational stories – when they’re done well. I love cross-culture and cross-country stories – when they’re done well. This book hit all the right notes on every one! I almost regret reading it almost all in one sitting, but it was so easy to sink into the writing and not put it down until the final moment.