I picked up Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie because it’s part of my son’s school-assigned reading. He was having a little trouble with it. Overall, the level of English here is higher than what he did in India, and I am quite nervous about his term-end results here (-｡-;. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. I picked up this book primarily to help him with his studies, and in the process, I ended up loving it.
About Purple Hibiscus
Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja lead a privileged life in Enugu, Nigeria. They live in a beautiful house, with a caring family, and attend an exclusive missionary school. They’re completely shielded from the troubles of the world. Yet, as Kambili reveals in her tender-voiced account, things are less perfect than they appear. Although her Papa is generous and well respected, he is fanatically religious and tyrannical at home—a home that is silent and suffocating.
As the country begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili and Jaja are sent to their aunt, a university professor outside the city, where they discover a life beyond the confines of their father’s authority. Books cram the shelves, curry and nutmeg permeate the air, and their cousins’ laughter rings throughout the house. When they return home, tensions within the family escalate, and Kambili must find the strength to keep her loved ones together.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
My Review
In many ways, this is such a hard book to read. The book is about domestic abuse and how it’s a normal way of life for Kambili and Jaja. It’s only when they go to stay at their cousin’s house that they realize the oppression by their father and chafe at the restrictions placed on them. But it’s also a book about the impact of colonialism on their country, as well as a coming-of-age story. There are numerous themes in this book, and I can see why it’s on the school curriculum.
I particularly loved reading about how colonialism has impacted their father, Eugene. He is a fascinating and well-drawn, and complex character. His response to colonialism is to convert to the white man’s way of thinking, and on the surface, it worked out well for him. He is rich and successful. His kids attend the best schools, have plenty of food, and enjoy the respect and admiration of the community. On the surface, he did the right thing by playing the game. But there is a huge hidden cost. It turned him into an anxious, aggressive, abusive father.
His sister, on the other hand, rejected the idea that she has to give up her culture and heritage. On the surface, it looks like she made a poor choice. She works at a failing college, can barely afford to feed her children, and her home is modest and basic. But she has joy in her life, and love in her family. She has a human connection to those around her.
The children observe these differences between their father and aunt, and slowly start to rebel. Jaja is more open, while Kambili has a more modest awakening. She starts the book completely under her father’s control, and while I hoped for a more dramatic arc for her, I suppose the reality is that she really needed some external support to help her.
Enter Father Amadi. I wasn’t quite certain what to make of his character. His affection for the impressionable Kambili made me extremely uncomfortable; I felt he took sickening advantage of a vulnerable young girl, yet Adichie paints him, and their interactions, in a glowing, soft-focus light that is generous beyond a schoolgirl crush.
Again, her skill at creating ambiguous relationships and multi-faceted characters shines through, but I squirmed at Kambili’s obvious need for the priest’s approval and the blurred line he crosses in offering his support.
Thankfully, the romance is fairly short-lived as they need to move on with their different lives. Kambili’s life takes a sudden, abrupt, and tragic turn, but the book ends on a hopeful note, and I heaved a sigh of relief that the two kids do get to move on and hopefully live freer, happier lives.
Overall, this was a lovely read, challenging, and thought-provoking. I’m quite excited now to see how my son will react to some of the plot points in this book. It’s quite adult in many ways, and probably the most grown-up book he’s read so far.
