Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
I think everyone that saw me reading this book said to me ''You're JUST reading this?'' always emphasizing the 'just'... yes yes I know, I'm like years late. I'd heard about the book and I always had it in mind to read it until my friend dropped it on my desk one morning at work. Thanks Mr. SMH.
Synopsis.
Fifteen-year-old Kambili's world is circumscribed by the high walls and frangipani trees of her fathers compound. Her wealthy Catholic Father, under whose shadow Kambili lives, while generous and politically active in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home.
When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili's father sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt, a University professor, whose house is noisy and full of laughter. There, Kambili and her brother discover a life and love beyond the confines of their father's authority. The visit will life the silence from their world and, in time, give rise to devotion and defiance that reveal themselves in profound and unexpected ways. This is a book about the promise of freedom; about the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood; between love and hatred, between the old gods and the new.
Yup. Definitely another must-read. I really enjoyed it. Parts of the book were painful for me to read because I tried to put myself in those positions and sometimes, I couldn't imagine myself going through such hardships or as an outspoken person, not being able to respond the way I usually would. Kambili, being fifteen, wants nothing more than her fathers approval and love and would go to any lengths to make sure that this happens which sometimes might not always be the best (in my opinion, of course).
I don't know how to really share how I feel about the book and my views without spilling so I'll leave it at this. If you haven't read it, You should.
