So this is my first review. I read Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and overall, I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to middle-ish teens and going up as it can be a little disturbing at times because there is domestic abuse.
It tells the story of a girl called Kambili, living in Nigeria after colonisation. Because of this, there are many political and economic struggles for the people,which results in conflict throughout the novel. Kambili lives with her parents in Enugu. Her father is Catholic, but in a very oppressive and sometimes cruel way, subjecting Kambili and her mother and brother to beatings when they do something that he does not like. The novel is the story of Kambili growing up, told from Kambili's perspective and essentially breaking free from the restrictions that her father has put on her and the restrictions that she has put on herself, trying to live up to her father's expectations. Many themes are explored in the book, such as maturity, sexuality, civil unrest as well as the struggles that a girl faces growing up.
This book was the debut novel of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and it was highly acclaimed, winning the 2004 Hurston/Wright Legacy and the 2005 Commonwealth Writers' Best First Book Prize. It was also shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2004. This doesn't always guarantee that a book will be enjoyable for every individual to read but it does mean that many people enjoyed the book.
Why did I like the book?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (the author) is extremely good at capturing Kambili's thoughts and feelings and relating her struggles to the reader. Kambili faces difficulties that are relatable to all girls and boys growing up and Chimamanda is able to really bring that across in the writing. There is a lot of beautiful description in the book and the storyline is really interesting and developed. Although the first few pages are quite slow, once the story takes off, it really picks up pace and is very gripping until the end.
Issues discussed in the book
One of the main themes running through the book was religion and how it affected the lives of many different people. Kambili's father, Eugene, for instance, is a Catholic but extremely radical, one might say, in his views and practices. He teaches his children that pagans are all going to hell, for instance and he beats them when they do not follow his will, saying that it is because they have been possessed by the devil. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote a small message at the end of the book, saying that she did not want people to see Eugene as the 'villain' but simply someone who did horrible things but was not a horrible man. Eugene uses religion in the wrong way, utilising it not only to pray for himself and his family, but also to influence, in the wrong way, Kambili's ideas of religion and to judge and look down upon those who are not Catholics.
However, Kambili's grandfather, is a heathen, or traditionalist, as he calls himself, worshipping many gods and speaking to his ancestors. Needless to say, Eugene does not approve of this and will not speak to his father and will not help him in his financial distress. However, Kambili notices that her grandfather is not at all the person that Eugene makes him out to be. Although a 'pagan', he understands more about compassion and humility and also seems to be a lot freer in his religion than Eugene who follows a stricter, more accepted religion. (Catholicism).
I personally also believe that the issues of religion that are highlighted in this book are contemporary issues that we can now see in our world today. In the book, people use religion as an excuse to do wrong and today, we can see radicalists and terrorists uniting under a banner of religion in order to do wrong. I believe that there is nothing in any religion that says that killing and/or physical/mental abuse is justified and in this book, these issues are highlighted.
Recommendations
But of course, this book is not for everyone and therefore, here are some other great books that I have read, that relate to Purple Hibiscus in some way but are also slightly different.
The Prisoner of the Inquisition by Theresa Breslin. This novel tells of a difficult time for Spain, during the Spanish Inquisition when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were hunting out Muslims and Jews, whom they believed to be heretics and burning/imprisoning them if they did not convert to Christianity. The novel follows the two stories of a poor boy called Saulo and a rich merchant's daughter called Zara. It relates strongly to the oppressive theme of religion in Purple Hibiscus and is also a really great book.
Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian. This novels tells the story of William Beech, a young boy evacuated to the country during the Second World War. He goes to stay with Tom Oakley. I chose to include this novel because it has an underlying theme of breaking away from oppression and growing up, learning about love and the beautiful things in the world, despite the horror of the Second World War all around them. William Beech's mum is a Christian and does use religion in a similar way to Kambili's father but that is not the overall theme of the book. It has a wonderful ending and I really enjoyed reading it.
So that's the end of this post. I hope it interested you. I am now reading Still Alice, so hopefully I should review that soon. I
:)
Thanks for reading,
Clare
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