Purple Hibiscus
Purple Hibiscus is a novel set in postcolonial Nigeria when it is controlled by a military government from the perspective of a 15 year old girl named Kambili Achike who lives with her older brother, Jaja, as well as her mother and father. Kambili's father, Eugene Achike is a wealthy and prestigious figure in his community who is devoted to Catholicism, as well as the newspaper that he publishes called The Standard. From the public's eye, it may look like the Achike family lives a pleasant and privileged life. However, Eugene holds high expectations of his wife and children and although he says he only wants what is best for his family, he often physically abuses them if they do not meet his high standards. Kambili and Jaja's end up staying at their Aunt's home, and they enjoy and cherish the happy and supportive environment in the apartment as opposed to the suffocating environment of their own home. Without pressure from their father, Kambili and Jaja begin to open up and become good friends with their cousins. Also, Kambili finds herself falling in love with a local priest named Father Amadi while Jaja matures into a young man. Meanwhile, back home, with all of the unrest in the government, publishing The Standard not only becomes difficult but also unsafe for their father. Every time the phone rings at their Aunts house, Kambili and Jaja fear that they will hear bad news about their father being harmed. At home however, Eugene continues to take out his stress from work on his wife. Fed up with the abuse, Kambili's mother poisons and eventually kills Eugene. In an effort to take care of his family, Jaja takes the blame for the murder and is sent to prison. The ending of the book takes place three years after these events and Kambili and her mother are on their way to visit him and tell him that he is going to be released.
I think this book is a very well written for children upper level grades. The characters, plot, setting, and style of the writing made the book very engaging. I loved this book and as I read further and further into the book, I found it harder to put it down. I thought that the plot was suspenseful, had a lot of action, and it flowed very nicely. I did not have trouble understanding most of the text, however, there were African/Igbo words mixed in the text every now and then that I did not know and would have to look up. For example, the word “nzu” means clay, “aku” are winged termites, an “Atilogwu” is a traditional spiritual dance to the Igbo people, and “Naira” is the currency used in Nigeria. Also, there were parts of the book that talked about certain articles of clothing or types of food that we do not have in America. The incorporation of this language and detailed descriptions made the book very believable and enhanced the story greatly. Lastly, there were a few locations in Nigeria discussed in the book that I am not familiar with, however I think that the author used the setting to add depth and credibility to the story. The descriptions of the weather, and locations in Africa made me as a reader feel as though I understood the conditions that the Achike family lived in. The characters were young teenagers which was very relatable to me. Also, the characters had similar values as many people in today’s society has such as honoring family, and placing your faith in a religion. These aspects of all of the characters made them very believable. Overall, I enjoyed reading a book from another part of the world and learning a few things about Nigerian language and culture. Reading a foreign culture was a great experience for me and I think this would be a great non-western novel to read with high school aged students. I think this because it provides a unique perspective, yet it has some complicated plot events. |