Wholly brilliant (Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

Member Name: sunmeilan

Product:	Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Date:	22/07/07 (135 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Awesome writing

Disadvantages: Gruesome descriptions of war

Nigeria was torn apart by civil war in the 1960s. This book tells the story of three people who are connected by fate: Ugwu, a houseboy, who is fiercely loyal to his patriotic university lecturer bos; Olanna, a rich man's daughter in love with Ugwu's boss; and Richard, a British writer who falls in love with the country and the Igbo tribe's cause, and decides to put his roots down there. When the story begins, in the early sixties, all are fairly content with life, but are unaware of the horrors that will face them in the Nigerian-Biafran war of 1967-1970. During the war, all are stretched to the limit and it is uncertain whether any of them will survive either the fighting or the hunger.

While reading this book, I became aware of what a sheltered life I have led. I hadn't even heard of Biafra, yet when the Igbo tribe established the state of Biafra to separate themselves from the rest of Nigeria and Nigeria went to war with Biafra, it was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Nor was it so very long ago. This excellent book, although fiction, is based on fact and gives a harrowing description of the hardships that the Biafrans (and to some extent the Nigerians) went thruogh.

Against such a back drop, it would be fair enough to suppose that the characters wouldn't play that important a role in the book. However, the author provides us with a set of thoroughly realistic and generally likeable characters. Ugwu, the houseboy, is hard-working and loyal, yet is far from perfect and has a strong liking for the ladies. He is apparently based on a houseboy of the author's family, which probably explains the believability of his character.

Olanna, the professor's mistress, comes from a wealthy background, yet longs for a more equal NIgeria and is well behind the Biafran cause. She is immensely likeable; at one point, the professor sleeps with another woman and I could really share her pain. This character is the one with whom I could most identify (mainly because she is a woman) and it was her that really made the book for me.

The slightly mysterious Richard is an orphan, brought up in England by his aunt. Blonde-haired and blue-eyed, he stands out in Biafra, yet falls in love with the country and becomes one of its greatest supporters. He falls in love with Kainene, Olanna's twin sister. Again, he is totally realistic - his pain was my pain.

The author, whose grandfathers were both killed in the war, took four years to write this book. This does not surprise me. It is abundantly clear that she has thoroughly researched the war and life at the time. It is also exquisitely written. Colours and smells came bouncing off the pages as I read about the local markets, scenery and cooking. It is a long time since I have been quite so impressed with a contemporary novel.

This book is about war and, as such, is extremely harrowing at times. There is one point when a woman on a train reveals that she is carrying her dead daughter's head with her. Other scenes in the book are undeniably gory. This didn't put me off, but I had to leave the book at times and come back to it a few days later. I can happily read horror and murder mysteries with all the gore you like, but this was, at times, too painfully realistic. Definitely not a book for the faint-hearted.

At the end of a selection of chapters throughout the book, there are snippets of prose that appear to come from another book. We are made to wait until the end of the book to find out who the author is, but in the meantime, they provide valuable information for the unknowledgeable on the Nigerian-Biafran war.

Some books now appear to have 'extras' and this is one of them. At the back of the book there is an interview with the author, her biography, an article on why she wrote the book and pictures of starving children taken during the war. There is also a list of other books about the war. I found all this very educational and hope to read more on the topic in the future.

I felt truly honoured to read this book. The subject matter is fascinating, but I can't help but feel this book would have been exceptional no matter what it was about because the author writes so beautifully. She has written another book, Purple Hibiscus, and I can't wait to read it. Although some may be put off by the subject matter, I highly recommend this book to one and all.

The book is available from play.com for £4.99. published by HarperCollins, it has 448 pages. ISBN: 9780007200283

Summary: Excellent read