"There’s a castle on the coast in Fanteland called the Cape Coast Castle. That is where they used to keep the slaves before they sent them away, to Aburokyire: America, Jamaica. Asante traders would bring in their captives. Fante, Ewe, or Ga middlemen would hold them, then sell them to the British or the Dutch or whoever was paying the most at the time. Everyone was responsible. We all were…we all are.” - Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing.
Homegoing by the Ghanaian-American writer Yaa Gyasi begins in 18th century Ghana with two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, who live in different villages. The sisters are told when they are young that they have a sibling but they never meet each other.
Effia remains in Ghana and marries a British man, James Collins, who is the Governor of Cape Coast Castle. It will be a happy life for Effia although she blocks out the fact that her husband makes his money in the slave trade.
And that brings us to Esi who, in comparison to Effia's life, is living a nightmare. Esi along with others from her village is kidnapped, sold into slavery and put on a ship headed for America.
The novel proceeds and we learn about the different paths Effia and Esi's lives take. We also learn about the lives of their descendents. We watch Effia's children, grandchildren, great grandchildren navigate the changes happening in Ghana. And we follow Esi's descendents in America through the Civil War, the Great Migration, the Jazz Age and on up to the present.
In 2016 Homegoing won The National Book Critics Circle Award and I can see why. I was invested in the lives of Effia and Esi's descendents all the way through this novel. Yaa Gyasi is an excellent writer and Homegoing is one of the best books I will read this year.
Oh my! Thanks for the heads up recommendation
ReplyDeleteYour welcome Iris and it really is an excellent book and the author is only in her 30's so she has a great writing career ahead of her.
DeleteI've had this book on my TBR list for a long time because it does sound really interesting and good; I just haven't made the time to read it. Maybe this year will be the year I get around to it. :D Great review!
ReplyDeleteIt's not a very long book. About 300 pages but the reader is drawn in from the beginning. I know I was.
DeleteNot a book I've heard of at all but it sounds amazing. I like family sagas told over many generations.
ReplyDeleteThis novel is definitely multi-generational. It goes through about 7 generations. And the writing is first rate and it's accessible reading too. It flows nicely and it keeps your interest although it can get dark because of the subject matter.
DeleteThis does sound like an excellent book, Kathy. I checked on Amazon to see how long it it is (because it sounded like it would be long) and it is only about 320 pages. And I was surprised to find out that I have an ebook edition, so I am set.
ReplyDeleteIt's not very long even though it deals with multiple generations. And it's a readable novel, excellent writing. I look forward to your thought on the book.
DeleteGood review Kathy. You sold me on it. I'm not sure why I haven't read it yet but I have heard much about it over the years. It sounds like the sister's lives and their descendants run counter to each other's.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan and the lives of the sister's descendants do run counter to each other and each chapter deals with the life of a different descendent moving forward to the present. The parts of the book set in Ghaba reminded me a bit of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe which is also excellent.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book so much--I was just blown away by the stories of these two women and their families and descendants. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank so much Jane and it it really is a great book. And the scenes in Ghana very much remind me of Chinua Achebe's classic Things Fall Apart which is also an excellent book.
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