Q U I C K S T A T S
Characters- ⭐⭐⭐. 5
Setting- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing style- ⭐⭐⭐
Overall rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
// Content Warning: Abuse (child and partner) / Domestic violence / Miscarriage / Religious oppression//
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Age group: Adult
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Pub date: October 30th 2003
P R E M I S E
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.
Purple Hibiscus is an exquisite novel about the emotional turmoil of adolescence, the powerful bonds of family, and the bright promise of freedom.
M Y R E V I E W
Purple Hibiscus is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie debut novel and follows Kambili, a fifteen-year-old girl living in Nigeria. Being part of a well-off family with a father who is well respected among the society and is known for speaking up for human rights, freedom in general, everybody expects her to have it easy. Ironically, for a man printing stacks of papers expressing hatred toward oppressive forces, his family's life was timetabled and anything done out of schedule resulted in punishment.
Kambili and Jaja suffered a lot during this book, their punishments include but aren't limited to abuse (both physical and emotional) but in very violent terms. What I find interesting is that although the punishments were very harsh, Jaja would go on all ends to make sure his sister or mother were safe from papa. Whenever an instant arose where papa was seething, Jaja would take the blame and carry the weight of the punishment on his back. His character development was my favourite; he went from being unable to look his father in the eyes to speaking up for himself and openly committing acts of defiance. Kambili's development is not to be forgotten; she never found the right words to express her feelings and often found herself focusing on inanimate things to deviate her train of thought. Towards the end however, she found the courage to speak up and we notice this when the plot describes the events in greater detail later on instead of descriptions of random objects lying around.
The story was definitely more character driven as opposed to plot (there was not much of a plot to begin with anyways) and the writing was very tactile. I couldn't hold back my tears when I read the scenes containing the abuse and I will gladly share this piece of information with my tutor who's going to be very confused (update as of 28/09: she was not confused and was glad to hear that I found this novel emotional). I'm really glad that she gave me a deadline otherwise I would never have come around to read this. Ever.
BONUS CONTENT: ANALYSING THE TITLE
Assuming you had already read the premise, I'm going to jump right into it.
The title is very significant and stands as a symbol for resistance against oppressive forces; papa didn't want his family associating with his parents and sister because they weren't Christians. However, after some convincing, the children visit their aunt and cousins and spend a week with them. After learning that the children were bounded by timetables and schedules, the aunt takes away their restrictions and exposes them to freedom. The children slowly begin to understand the oppression they face at home and learn to stand up for themselves. Purple hibiscus is their aunt's favourite flower and uh well I hope you understood something!
Here's an excerpt from a research paper I found a long time ago. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the paper otherwise I would have linked it here:
In the novel the purple hibiscus symbolises freedom and fulfilment. It stands for the inner voice and strength that the characters seek for. It is also a means of augmenting one's beauty for behind the left ear a hibiscus represents the woman as a "desirous lover". The colour "purple"– a mixture of red and blue – represent diversity and variety, multiplicity and unity.
T R O P E S
Coming of age
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N
Black main and side characters
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