Saturday, August 15, 2009

Book Review: Half of a Yellow Sun

2 Oct 2007

I enjoyed reading Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Set against the backdrop of the Nigerian-Biafra Civil War of 1967-70, the book follows the lives of Ugwu, a bright African house boy employed by Odenigbo, the brilliant socialist reformer; the dissimilar twins Olanna and Kainene - the former stunningly beautiful and compassionate, the latter ugly and brilliant; and finally Richard, Kainene's British born fiance who feels more at home in Biafra than in his native land.

The book chronicles the impact of war on the lives of the protagonists- the loyal and innocent Ugwu rapes a bar girl when he is forced into army service (only to learn a year later that his favorite sister Anulika was raped by five Nigerian soldiers); the changing dynamics in the relationship between Odenigbo and Olanna as the latter emerges from needing Odenigbo to providing strength to the family as they witness the deaths of their relatives; how Olanna and Kainene overcome their differences and rediscover the sisterly warmth that they missed out on during their youth; and finally, the softening of Kainene in the presence of the mild, besotted Richard.
One of the reasons I enjoyed the book was that, as an Indian, I could relate with the context - the British colonization and divide-and-rule policy that deepens the suspicions between the Yoruba's and Igbo's (the North and the South) is reminiscent of the Hindu-Muslim divide. Adichie treats her characters with realism and empathy - gently portraying their warts and blemishes without passing judgement. Her choice of characters is also interesting - the poor Ugwu who is educated by his masters and goes on to write a book; the stunningly beautiful but surprisingly insecure Olannna who comes into her own during the war as she displays a Melanie-like courage; the handsome and reformist Odenigbo, so good with words but utterly helpless when faced with adversity; the brilliant and acerbic Kainene, evidently resentful of her twin's beauty and yet unable to ignore her enigmatic presence; and handsome but meek Richard who aspires to be a writer and ends up 'belonging' to Biafra.

This is a book about not forgetting, even though "how quick leaving had been and how slow returning was". The descrpition of the war, of how politicians use people's passions to their own ends, is moving without being melodramatic -"He (Biafran leader) would come back with justice and salt" - Olanna's belief when she hears that His Excellency is going abroad to look for peace is a poignant commentary on the common man's feelings about war.

The relationship between the twins is also well explored - when Kainene comes to meet Olanna after a long estrangement, the sisters are taking tentative steps towards a reconciliation. As they talk, Kainene leans against Olanna, and then suddenly, as if remembering something, straightens up. Olanna then feels the "slow sadness of missing a person who was still there".

The element of surprise, that essential spice of life, remains intact in Adichie's writing. Some of the chapters end with a short extract from a book titled The World Was Silent When We Died. We read about Richard working on a book by this name, but the true author is revealed in the end, dedicated "For Master, my good man" - 'my good man' being the reformist Odenigbo's name for Ugwu. Kainene's disappearance and the author's refusal to divulge her whereabouts - is she dead or alive? - keeps the reader hooked.

There is no happy ending, but there is hope - of renewal, of survival and of life carrying on, despite all odds.

2 comments:

The Line of Beauty said...

great review, Hina!

It's strange you and I picked the pick around same time. I wrote about it two years back here . I was deeply moved by the book and counted my blessings that I was born in India.

I recently picked Adichie's first book, The Purple Hibiscus, where the blurb compared it to "The God of small things". I was disappointed a lot by that book. Don't read it :)

Unknown said...

Hi
May I hope that you can review an award-winning historical fiction? I published a Korean War novel The Dance of the Spirits on Amazon. The book won the 2014 eLit Awards sponsored by Jenkins Group. The book tells a story of a forbidden love in a forgotten war and received positive reviews from Kirkus Reviews, San Francisco Reviews, Midwest Book Review, and some Amazon readers.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/098969092X/?tag=bdsitelogin-20
ISBN 9780989690928
Best wishes to you and yours