Homegoing

Yaa Gyasi's historical fiction novel, Homegoing, takes an interesting approach to the history of slavery. Gyasi follows two half-sisters who are only remotely aware of each other and their descendants over 8 generations. One sister marries an Englishman who is an officer in the slave trade living a life of luxury in "The Castle." The other sister is imprisoned in the lower level of "The Castle," eventually sold into slavery in America.

In Africa, we learn more about the Asante and Fante nations fighiting under British colonization about the eventual independence of Ghana. In the United States, we learn about the journey from the plantation to the days of the Civil War, to the early days of freedom in the coal mines. The great migration takes place and now the descendants are in Harlem. Eventually the story moves to the present day.

The history was horrific, the story was interesting, but the novel was more like a collecction of short stories rather than a family saga. There was very little connection from one generation to the next other than a casual mention of recent ancestry. I think the novel would have gotten way too long and way too involved had it been more of a saga, but I think it would have been a more satisfying read.

This is a book that will be discussed in October in my community book club. The individual characters are unmemorable so I hope I can recall enough about the novel to be able to meaningfully discuss it at that time.

Would I recommend? Yes. I would.