Homegoing: Family Tree Required

    Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi got a lot of buzz this year, and for good reason. It's a beautiful and tragic story about family, legacy, loyalty, slavery (in more ways than one), and more things that will make you squirm and think. But first, did you know Gyasi is in her twenties?? Talk about goals! I read this interview of her and it gave some great background to her purpose behind writing the story. The part I thought was most interesting was how she said "this book was more about time" and how that changed the format of the book drastically while she was writing it.

    The story starts with two women in Ghana who are forced from their home villages. They are half sisters but they are unaware each other exist, even when one lives in the castle above and the other lives in the dungeons below.  One sister's legacy remains in Ghana and the other's is lost as she is sold into slavery and taken to America. Readers follow their families and descendants through centuries and across oceans getting a glimpse into a different character at every chapter.

    I am a sucker for books that follow people --especially families-- over long periods of time. I like watching how characters change and grow and how their decisions affect the people who come after them. This book checked that box perfectly. What I wasn't expecting when I first started reading was that you only get to read from each character's perspective one time. You may encounter them again within the chapter of someone else, but the timeline keeps progressing with each character and chapter, no going back. That was one of the few things I wished was different about the story. Sometimes I wanted more from certain characters like Esi and Ness.

    I was completely engaged with each sister's side of the family tree (and believe me, you will need to refer to that family tree in the front of the book over and over). I found myself unintentionally trying to choose whether I liked Ghanaian setting or the American setting better, but I didn't have a favorite. Every time it went from one to the other I was really interested in knowing what was coming next. Gyasi is a fantastic storyteller. Though I didn't always get as much from each character as I would have liked, I feel like they were all deep, dynamic, and well-written for having so many of them to keep track of!

    If you have not yet caught on to timeliness of this book as far as racial issues; it packs a powerful punch. This was such a beautiful and interesting way to paint a picture of the struggles black people have faced since they came into America. From slavery to segregation to the present and everything in between, I think this fictionalized perspective should be required reading for everyone. It brought the tragedies and hardships they've faced --and still face-- into a whole new light for me.

    I feel like the ending started to come full circle a little too conveniently and wish that Gyasi would have just made the ending exactly as though every question was answered and every loose end tied up. Instead, to me, it felt halfway. Like she was going to make it a perfect ending, and didn't follow through. I don't know if that make sense, but it's how I feel!

    Overall, I highly recommend this book. It's certainly weighs heavily on the reader, but at 300 pages it won't take long to get through and you definitely won't regret it.

4/5 Stars