I finished listening to Purple Hibiscus this afternoon. I want to sit with it in my head for a while. It is written by one of my favorite authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It is a powerful book full of universal themes that disregard borders. Told with the voice of Kambili, a 15 year old girl living in a house of wealth and tones of white - the book is about calculated brutality and uncontrolled rage from a beloved parent doing God's work. It is the conflict of pride and fear a child feels for an abusive, yet successful father.
I am a fan of Adichie's work. This is the least African of her novels because it is about a family that could live any where; the setting of Nigeria truly matters in only the last chapters of the book. Then again, it is also the most African of her books. The failures, whether the head of state or head of the family, bring painful growth and eventual maturity. The family can serve as an analogy for the larger community and the youth of Africa's democratic self-rule. The path to independence in an authoritarian state is no less dangerous than saying "no" to a bully of a father.
The narration is fabulous by Lisette Lecat. Her reading is slow and full of emotion. She captures the shy hesitancy of Kambili. She also narrates The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency audio books, so you might recognize her voice.
At the end, I am grateful that I do not live in Nigeria and have had the gentle generosity of wonderful parents.
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