Purple Hibiscus

This book is brutal, but so well-written and at times very subtle with its impact. It's hard to believe this was Adichie's debut novel.

True things about this book:

1. It is ~80% child abuse/wife beating
2. It is incredibly beautiful

עכשיו אני מבינה למה מתכוונים כשאומרים ספר קשה

This was another find from one of my neighborhood lending libraries, and I delayed on starting it for the silliest reason: I loved Americanah so much, how could Ngozi Adichie's skill from two novels before that be comparable? Like I said, silly. Calling things “coming-of-age” stories tends to flatten them a bit, and that's only the starting point here: this is a coming-of-age story that is also about all kinds of violence: domestic, religious, political/governmental, colonialist. The character studies are beautiful, Ngozi Adichie has apparently always been tremendously skilled at visual imagery, and the complex emotions ring true. My one complaint, which may actually reflect that this was her first novel, is that the denouement is paced differently than the rest of the novel, in a way that feels a little off-kilter. Still, such a great book.

For quite a short novel, it packs quite a punch. It's concise, well written and educating without being dry or overbearing.

I really enjoyed reading about Kambili's time with Aunty Ifeoma and her cousins, the characters were so vivid and likeable which was such a contrast to the strict and abusive life she faces at home.

The writing from this author is really what makes this book special, she has such a way of making you feel the oppression without really saying much about it; you can feel the heat and dryness of the country without it being explained over and over. I really liked the atmosphere created in such an effortless way.

I will certainly be reading more from this wonderful author.

Not a light and fun read. The characters are well developed and you only hope for the best for each of them.

2.5? I've read other works by Adichie that I've preferred over this. I almost wrote “enjoyed more than this,” but I don't think this story was meant to be enjoyable, necessarily - it is heavy in its subject matter, suffocating in its presentation of zealous religiosity in the Papa character, his control over every moment with his family. I was glad Kambili and Jaja were able to experience some sort of freedom in their aunt's home, but even to the end I was frustrated that Kambili worshiped her father so wholly. And I felt the ending was a little too convenient. But still, Adichie is a great writer with a wonderful sense of place, this just wasn't my favorite.

CW: miscarriages due to physical abuse (mostly off-page), spousal abuse, child abuse

For starters, I just want to say that I liked this book more than I thought I would. I'm really not a big fan of contemporaries. Like really. I only ever really read one if it has a very intriguing plot and good reviews. So, I was a bit hesitant going into this, especially since it was a school book.

And you know, I had a right to be for about half of the book. I found the first half to be terribly boring. Maybe it was because I couldn't relate to the main character, maybe not. Kambili annoyed me to no end. She would complain and pout about her father's abuse in her head and about how she couldn't speak. But then she'd turn around looking at her papa like he was her own personal Rumpelstiltskin going, “papa, I will give you my firstborn child, you're so good to me.”

Nope. I wasn't down for that.

Well, now that I've done a sufficient amount of bashing Kambili, I really did enjoy the second half of the book. It was interesting to see the immense amount of character development that was occurring. On the political end, it was heart-breaking and all too real.

Overall, it was a good second half. But to me, half of a good book doesn't earn 4 stars. So that's why I'm giving it 3.

I really enjoy books that take place in Africa, and this was a good one to get a feel for living in Nigeria (although the psychotic father is hopefully not typical).