“What a brilliant bookk!I hadnt read purple hibiscus but would surely doNo wonder Chimamda is the pride of Nigeria!
I love her style of writing.It has been long since i read a book with such wonderful style and characters.Odenigbo, very interesting guy, Kainene- very spirited and different,Richard- a kind guy but not confident, Ugwu- the protagonist, i think, interesting guy..And the other minor charaters too.A wondeful blend.
Olanna was a bit 'goody two shoes 'for me.But i love her relationship with Odenigbo, the understanding.Richard's story swith Kainene tarted with details, but along the line, she abandonded that and didn't continue on it.
The book is detailed in a lively way.She also has a way of giving information about what normal people do. It was natural,something you would do.e.g when Olanna baby asking after Kainene as a sign that she was still alive.We all do that.She was able to bring that out well.As if she saw you do it.And the story didnt just move from one scene to the other .Very brilliant flashbacks and the way she introduces a charater into the story, not your normal narration.
As a Nigerian, it really was insightful.We hear about the first two coups and the war but we dont really know the horrors of it.The starvation and hunger of the war.And living in Northern Nigeria, we didnt hear much of the horrors because the North was not as affected.It was a brave topic to venture into, as Achebe said.
That said, i think we didnt get a balanced acount of the Civil war.I think the research wasnt properly done.She was too harsh on the Northerners.She somehow sounded as if it was only Hausa people that were in the Nigerian Army that fought against Biafra.She didnt dwell on the fact that in the 66 coup, Igbo people spared their own like Zik and the south eastern premeir but killed Balewa, Sardauna and Akintola.She somehow sounded as if the attack on Igbos was unprovoked.
She also didnt dwell on the wether Ojukwu ran away or not when defeat became imminentrather her very unflattering remarks and false statements about sardauna's death.
I wasnt too happy with the end, but i guess it is her style.
I then thought , have Nigerians learnt anything from our past?”
posted Tuesday, December 4 2007