I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this book, it is just breath taking. Thank you to Netgalley, Canon gate and Imbolo Mbue for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was immediately drawn to this based on the beautiful cover, full of vibrant colours and yet a feeling of sadness portrayed on it (I only realised there were two different covers after writing this!), and of course the melancholy title.
How Beautiful We Were focuses on the story of the inhabitants of a fictional village, Kosawa, in Africa. The village has been struggling in their fight with an American oil company who are destroying their land, water and air leading to the deaths of the village children, and a corrupt dictatorship who do not care for their problems. The company keep promising to clear up after themselves or pay the village, and never deliver on those promises. The story focuses on a girl called Thula, her family and her age mates as the years go by and her determination to save Kosawa only grows.
The story is powerful. It is written beautifully, with hard hitting sentences and sentences full of sadness, as it is a tale of tragedy. It is made only more powerful because although it is set in a fictional village, you know that things like this have taken place across Africa and elsewhere due to the exploitation and negligence of Western companies, therefore making it all the more devastating. It is an incredibly emotional book, and deals with a multitude of hard hitting heavy topics, but it is so beautifully told. Mbue truly has poured her heart into this and it shows.
Be warned, it is a slow read and in no way I think should you rush it, it is made to be slow and heart wrenching and thought provoking, and to not treat it as such would be to do an injustice to it I think. The chapters are incredibly long, one on the kindle I noticed gave me an estimated reading time of 56 minutes. But I think the long chapters, although frustrating, are fitting for the novel and they do draw you in completely.
It is told from multiple perspectives, from the perspective of Thula, her family and then her age mates, and in the chapters titled ‘The Children’ we see a different style, more of a wider view of the situation and their hopes for Thula to rescue them, along with the use of ‘we’ and it really helps to draw the reader to look at the wider problems and see that this is not isolated to Thula’s family. The Children also serve as the overall narrator, bringing in important revelations and heart breaking moments and it is done incredibly well.
One aspect I loved about the book was the rich culture. It dealt with African beliefs, that were permeated throughout the book as the villagers held them close, as it was written by Mbue who was born in Cameroon you can tell that it has had an impact. The culture makes the characters feel real, with their dialogue and mannerisms and the way they address one another, it feels real and I love it.
It also dives not only into the neglect Western companies have for the land and people by which they are surrounded, but also makes reference to the past of slavery and Christian missionaries that have tried to eradicate the culture and beliefs of African villages. It is a devastating reminder that not only did these things happen, but they happened not that long ago and through the exploitation of Western companies, are still happening.
There is also an incredible depiction of grief throughout the book, from multiple characters and how their beliefs can be at odds with their grief, which I found fascinating. I really do not know what else to say as it is a very heavy book, and one that on reflection I think will only grow on me and produce more meaning over time. I’d really recommend it but it is a very hard hitting book that needs to be read with time to reflect on the content and therefore I don’t think that it is something for everyone to read. If you like the idea of a slow paced read that is incredibly thought provoking and dives into African culture and thought then this is the one for you.
Love,
Carey
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