Purple Hibiscus

[spokette]

I have just finished reading this and I cannot believe that this was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's first book. She is such a mature and insightful authoress.

It is a very sad and troubling story which is told against the backdrop of Nigeria's political upheaval in the 1960s. Kambili, a 15 year old girl is subjected to a daily, stifling ritual that has been set by her father. He ensures that there is strict adherance to their Catholic belief and he is fanatical as well as brutal towards his children and wife.

I really felt for Kambili and her brother Jaja because they are voiceless, oppressed and I so desperately wanted them to find some form of escape from their domestic prison which thankfully comes in the guise of their Aunt, their father's sister.

I also loved Half of a Yellow Moon and I cannot wait to read Adichie's next novel.

Forgot to say that I am going to now read "When things fall apart" by Chinua Achebe as his books have inspired Adichie and indeed, the first line in Purple Hibiscus "Things started to fall apart at home" is her tribute to Achebe.

I am just reading this now, absolutely loved Half of a Yellow Sun. 'Things fall Apart' is also a great novel, considered one of Africa's finest, though it is a long time since I have read it.

If you want to read some other African novels I recommend Coetzee's Disgrace among others.