Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"Richard was surprised when he heard the announcement that the federal government had declared a policy action to bring the rebels to order. Kainene was not."

I have to admit to being completely oblivious to this period of history. I was unfamiliar with Nigeria's history and I always admire a book that enlivens otherwise hidden periods of history to my sheltered world. I'd previously read Americanah  by the same author and enjoyed it immensely, so I was intrigued to explore her Bailey Women's Prize winning novel.

There are some harrowing scenes in this novel which are not easily erased. A particular rape scene comes to mind and it is all the more disturbing because both the transgressor and the victim seem like victims - no-one is innocent in war. This is a world gone mad and the insanity has a body count.

Sadly, this could be anywhere in the world.We are always one step away from being educated and informed and then regressing into violence. Even when the ideals are revolution for better conditions, the outcomes can be catastrophic. The pacing here is masterful and you will be drawn in despite your reservations about much of the action.

5 out of 5 - If we don't learn history we are doomed.

A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride

“There’s good news and bad news. It’s shrunk. He’s saved. He’s not. He’ll never be. So like it lump it a short breath’s what you’ve got. Jesus in her blood that minute. Rejoice sacred heart of Christ. But we’ll never be rid do you understand? he says. Shush now she says shush.”

Should you feel, perhaps, that your life is severely missing some misery, then, might I recommend that this is the book for you!

I love language, and I like it used correctly. Certainly there are some exceptions – Irvine Welsh I’m looking at you. In his case, I get that the strange concoctions of new words reflect the accent and place of the characters. Here, in a somewhat similar vein, the pain and torment of the “half-formed thing’ that is our protagonist, expresses herself in a jumble of words that mimic her sufferings and confusion. On an intellectual level, I can certainly appreciate the brilliance of that, as a reader, however, it served to really drive home the muck and despair til I could hardly go on.

If art is something that moves you to emotion, then this is that. Yet, it is hardly the sort of novel you would enjoy reading on a plane for example. I know this from experience. The photo above was taken at the departure gate.

Seriously, turbulence was beginning to become an uplifting experience in contrast to the messed up antics of the book. After a sordid childhood and the Rolf Harris like goings on of her uncle, is it any surprise that the girl is hell bent on self-destruction? Probably not, yet she drags the reader, kicking and screaming at a frenetic pace, querying what fresh horror will appear on the next page.

Now you might think my score is a little savage in light of the book’s critical acclaim elsewhere. I freely admit, I can appreciate what’s going on, without enjoying it and I really didn’t enjoy it. I mean I actually felt the need to shower after it, and hide the razor blades while I was in there. It is bleak, dark, without hope and, in case there was any doubt,… depressing.


2 out of 5 readers of such sad fiction will be forced to take solace in whiskey.