Homegoing

by Yaa Gyasi
May 29-June25, 2017

Quite an epic amount of history in a short 300 pages! I think this novel is bigger and better than its brevity. From the beginning of slavery in Ghana through present day, the author takes the reader on a journey through seven generations. Each chapter told from a different descendent's point of view, it's merely a taste of the lives they led. I understand the formula the author intended, but as each story is rather short, I always found myself wanting more. Some stories were more successful and interesting than others. Those were, of course, what I wanted more of. The story of "H" was my favorite.

Although the historic importance was so great, the prose was very easy to read. But, after a while, I was bored. Hence the month it took me to get through it. Gyasi's plan for the chapters was a good one, I just found it to be a little monotonous after a while. I did have to refer back to the family tree at the beginning a few times, which may speak to the complexity of the familial line.

In the penultimate chapter, Marjorie sums up her lineage perfectly and with poise in this poem:

Split the Castle
Open,
find me, find you.
We, two, felt sand,
wind, air.
One felt whip.
Whipped,
once shipped.
We, two, black.
Me, you.
One grew from
cocoa's soil, birthed
from nut,
skin uncut, still
bleeding.
We, two, wade.
The waters seem
different
but are same.
Our same. Sister
skin.
Who knew? Not me.
Not you.

Really, an excellent synopsis of this family's 250 years.

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