Really, Adichie can do no wrong in my eyes. She is one of my favorite authors, and Purple Hibiscus underscores why. The dichotomy between home life and life at the girl's aunt's house is jarring, and proves to be a metaphor for what was and what is. Lovely writing. ( )

A fifteen year old girl's tale of a busy political, religious father, a mallable mother, a caring brother and the political unrest of Nigeria as a backdrop. She tells of the abuse her mother, brother and herself are dealt by her father for what he sees as thier sins and their escape to Aunt Ifeoma. ( )

The novel is told from the point of view of a young woman during a specific 5 month period that proved a major turning point in her life. The first hundred pages introduce her family and the life they live. Her father is a very devout Christian, very generous, principled, perhaps a bit proud, and very strict. Everyone else is really defined by how obedient they are to the father. The next hundred pages show a period of strange freedom as they spend a few weeks with their aunt where there is laughter and love, instead of fear and judgment. The final section is the climax, where the members of the family find they don't fit back in their old lifestyle.

The main character is the young woman Kambili. And we do see her come of age and grow into her own, even while still adoringher father and craving his approval and love. Another well developed character is her cousin Amaka who is initially critical of Kambili for being rich, but grows in her own right as she learns that having a lot of money does not always make one rich.

But the character that colors the actions of everyone is the father. He has some very good qualities. He is truly generous with the money his manufacturing plants bring him. He is seeking to be a good Christian in a country seeped in traditionalist and pagan rituals. He stands up for clear principles in the face of a corrupt government and military coup. We have no reason to doubt that these things truly represent him.

But like all of us, he is also broken, and his brokenness comes out as a strict physical punishment of his wife and children if they do anything he sees as sinful or disobedient. His faith is completely works based, with no room for grace. And his response of beating his family is a horrendous miscarriage of justice and his role as protector of his family. That the priest of his church feeds the man's pride but never steps in to confront him with this behavior. ( )

Men beat their wives and children. Politics is a dirty business. And the Catholic Church is bad. The end.

Who cares. ( )

This book was GREAT!!
I loved every minute of it. It was refreshing to read about someone in another country, with a different life style but similar problems.
I loved watching the main character grow and develop and slowly free herself from her father's grip. This story was beautiful. ( )