Homegoing

We often think of history as something belonging in classrooms and nonfiction books. We think of it as separate from our dinner conversations, place of work, and friendships. Yaa Gyasi presents history in the context of a family and its members, each with overlapping histories and unique trajectories. By way of making unforgettable characters in a history we think of as part of the past, she challenges our misconceptions. 

Homegoing is the story of two stepsisters in Ghana and the paths of their descendants. One sister, Effia, marries a British soldier. The other is sold into slavery under the floor of his sister and her spouse. Each one is oblivious to the other’s life, until eight generations later, when their stories intersect. 

Gyasi introduces us to Effia through her actions, family, and surroundings. The latter two identifiers become vital in understanding the former--Effia is who she is and does what she does because of her origin. This origin and its parallel become dual roots for chapters to come. When we meet the children of each sister, born into different settings, we observe decades of action, family, and surroundings manifested in fresh characters. 

Despite the novelty of each character and the brevity of their narratives, Gyasi has a way of making them familiar. Her clear language is the agent of this authenticity. There are no superfluous descriptions to distract from the essence of each character, an essence we can attribute in part to the lineage they inherit and the context they experience. 

These characters are worth getting to know, and Gyasi makes this an accessible and pleasurable task. But beyond that, she places these characters at the mercy of history--and the result is a view of humanity that is both enlightening and empowering.