Homegoing: A journey of many lifetimes
Homegoing begins in Ghana, in the mid 1700s, with the constant conflict between the Asante and Fante tribes. It begins with the advent of the British, who take advantage of these conflicts and fuel the slave trade by inciting wars amongst every tribe. It traces the story of two families, over the span of 300 years, telling the tale of slavery, freedom, struggle, racism, segregation, oppression, and most of all, unwavering hope. Starting with half sisters, Effia and Esi, each character has its own story, and has its own chapter in the book.
Every character from these families faces hardships unlike the other, but it is the tiny moments of happiness, love, and kindness that bind these characters over 2 centuries. Not every story ends happily. In fact, every story is infused with heart wrenching grief. To think that an entire system, economy, and culture was built on the oppression of a people, just because of their colour, this book is bound to be heart wrenching. But, despite the sadness and atrocities, every character manages to find their home. The beauty of this book lies in Yaa Gyasi’s storytelling. It doesn’t venture into the deeper meaning of finding home, but simply tells stories, leaving the readers to decide for themselves. This kind of storytelling is bold, unbiased, and simply elegant.
Yaa Gyasi has achieved two very difficult goals with these powerful stories.
- She has leveraged her imagination to turn the spotlight on a harsh reality. Yaa has created characters that span 7 generations, and still, every character has an impact on your mind. In spite of the sordid backdrop of slave trade and racism, the stories aren’t dramatic, but just a narration of black lives. This is historical fiction, but that doesn’t make her story less real.
- She has explained how systemic racism is ingrained to boost the wealth and egos of one race while completely decimating the present and future of another. Watching a family struggle for generations just to be seen as human beings instead of commodities gives perspective to the fact that even though slavery has ended, its effect hasn’t.
Homegoing is one of the most simple books that I have ever read, but it is layered and intricate. Not only should this book be read, but studied at an academic level for its admirable storytelling in a world that is as close to reality as fiction can get.
