Homegoing

This ambitious novel spans over three hundred years, all following descendants of two half-sisters from Ghana, through the slave trade and into America’s Civil Rights movement. Each chapter follows a different perspective. As a result, the character’s lives are not fleshed out following the end of their chapter, but Gyasi adds little snippets here and there for readers to catch. It forces readers to piece together this extensive family tree and conceptualize the outcomes of each character.

Let me first say that this novel was spectacular. It tackled so many themes: racism, imperialism, classism, sexism, misogyny, conformity, education, tradition—just to name a few! Gyasi clearly put in a lot of effort to research for this novel, particularly for the seventeenth century scenes in Ghana. Some of the imagery is truly horrifying—such as Ghanaian women being trapped in the basement of a European’s mansion for weeks at a time, with no bathroom, beds, or privacy.

It has been a long time since I have read a historical fiction set in Africa, so this novel was refreshing and invigorating. Not only did this novel teach but it entertained. Highly emotional and extremely well written, this is one of the best novels I have read this year.