Purple Hibiscus

This renowned author's first novel centers on Kambili, the 15 year old daughter of a wealthy, devout Catholic Nigerian family. Her father forces his two children to follow a daily schedule of schoolwork and prayer, so devastatingly restricted that they function as religious robots, unable to laugh or show any pleasure unless it is wrapped around pleasing God and their demanding father. Jaja, the son, becomes rebellious at the same time that a coup results in a repressive government takeover which is a brilliant parallel to Papa's home regime. Aunty Ifeoma, a college professor, foments freedom for her niece and nephew by inviting them to visit with her and their cousins in her modest home, with none of the daily luxuries to which Kambili show more and Jaja are accustomed, but with all of the affection and rambunctious fun that's missing in their lives. Events conspire to bring the two worlds of hearth and city through dramatic changes, as the reader revels in the expansion of Kambili's limited life. This is a gorgeously written coming-of-age novel with depths beyond the norm for the genre, and with a strongly demonstrative love for the city of Enugu and for the Nigerians of varied social classes and religious beliefs. show less

Kambili is a fifteen year old Nigerian girl. Her devoutly Catholic father is a rich and enormously influential community leader, and everyone considers his family to be extremely fortunate. But behind closed doors, his wife and children cower in terror from his physical and emotional abuse. Kambili and her brother Jaja get a taste of freedom for the first time when they are allowed to visit their aunt and cousins for a week. Everything starts to change after that.
The depiction of abuse is so vivid and real. This book fucked me up; I walked around in a bit of a daze and cried over spilled milk the day I read it. It’s amazing - the family relationships (y’know, the non-abusive ones) are full of such love, and watching Kambili show more tentatively step outside her father’s shadow is wonderful - but, well, be warned. Warning for murder and mob violence too. And at once point it looks like something dodgy might happen between Kambili and her priest, but it’s OK, she has a crush but he never takes advantage. show less

“That night, I dreamed that I was laughing, but it did not sound like my laughter, although I was not sure what my laughter sounded like.”

Chimamanda Adichie uses one small family to tell a big story about the ills of religion and the effects of colonialism in Nigeria. Kambili is a 14 year old girl who lives in awe of her father - a “big man” who owns factories and an important newspaper and is revered by his home village, where they have made him a chief, despite his only visiting once a year. Kambili also lives in fear of her father, a devout Catholic who beats his wife and children for minor infractions, both real and perceived.

Much of the novel details Kambili’s conflict in admiring her father who does good things publicly show more - challenges government corruption, supports widows and children, is generous with food and money - but is a tyrant at home. She loves him and is terrified of him. A visit with an aunt and cousins shows her an alternative reality - a family that laughs together and challenges each other and makes the most of the little they have.

As Kambili experiences a different kind of family and a different kind of church in the form of a kind, young priest, we see her grow and begin to question what was once unquestionable. It’s a nuanced coming of age story with universal themes despite its specific (and wonderfully drawn) location that is unfamiliar to most Western readers.

This was my first experience with Adichie’s work, and I am glad to have three more waiting for me on my shelves.

4 stars show less

After reading We Should All Be Feminists, I wanted to read more by Adichie so checked her first book out from the library. I was blown away by Purple Hibiscus, which is a nuanced and complex story of a family trying to survive with a controlling and abusive religious fanatic father. It is also the story of a teenage girl learning to find her voice. And it is also the story of a country that is coping with the aftermath of a military coup.

This was absolutely gorgeous and both heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. The ending is a bit ambiguous - it doesn't really end, but that felt right because there isn't really an ending to these characters' stories. They just keep going because they have to.

After reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Orange Prize winning novel Half a Yellow Sun last summer, I knew I had to read more of her books so for Orange January I chose her 2003 debut novel, [Purple Hibiscus], which was short listed for the 2003 Orange Prize. I was not disappointed.

Kambili Achike is the 15 year old protagonist who tells the story of her life in flashbacks, centered on Palm Sunday in the not too distant past. She lives with her older brother JaJa and her wealthy parents. Her abusive father, Eugene, is a domineering, devout Catholic, whose interpretation of the faith and expectations of Kambili and her family members leaves her feeling unworthy as she continually tries to live up to her father’s unreasonable demands. show more Her mother is cowed by her spouse and is therefore unable to save her children from his cruelty.

All this undergoes extraordinary upheaval when she and her brother are allowed to spend a few days with her Auntie Ifeoma, a university professor, and her cousins. The children discover that laughter and joy are possible, even in a home where they have to pitch in and help with chores because there are shortages of everything from food to electricity and no money with which to hire servants. Only by working together does this family enjoy a raucous contentment that is missing completely from Kambila’s normal home life. Auntie Ifeoma discerns immediately that Kambila is extraordinarily withdrawn and sets about trying to cure her of this character trait by enlisting the help of the local Catholic priest.

An underlying theme is the civil unrest taking place in Nigeria at this time. In a complete about face of character, Eugene, through the newspaper he owns, is fighting for the rights of every citizen and against the corrupt Nigerian government and it is only when a tragedy takes place that he realizes how dangerous his position has become. Auntie Ifeoma, in the meanwhile, is in danger of losing her position because of her stand against the university administration.

Adichie is a brilliant writer, who uses all her literary skills to impart her story. The characters leap to life on the page and her use of the purple hibiscus as a metaphor for Kambilie and the life she wants to lead is fascinating: the rare purple hibiscus blooming amid the flock of red ones, so underestimated yet so beautiful. It really painted a magnificent picture. The author’s prose flows so eloquently and, yet, most of the story is told through dialogue, which didn’t lend itself to the author’s strong suit. I would have liked to have seen more of her robust prose; a small thing though in the overall picture. A wonderful read; highly recommended show less

From a craft perspective, this is a very well-written book; it's vivid and visual, and the African spirituality adds elegant cultural appeal. At heart, it's a book about the axiom of domestic violence, family bonds, and emotional turmoil. That said, I struggled to complete it and wished that I could snatch Eugene from the pages and beat him senseless.

It’s clear from the opening sentence that Adichie intends for this book to build on Achebe’s Things Fall Apart:

Things started to fall apart at home when my brother, Jaja, did not go to communion and Papa flung his heavy missal across the room and broke the figurines on the etagere.

Adichie explores themes of colonialism and religion (traditional Igbo vs. Catholic Christianity, and European Catholicism vs. liturgical adaptation). These themes root the novel in a particular place and time. The coming-of-age and domestic violence themes have a universal appeal. Sadly, no part of the globe in any era has been immune to the kinds of violence that play out in this story.

I was enraptured by the first ten hours of this eleven-hour audiobook. show more Things fell apart in the last hour, as it seemed Adichie didn’t quite know what she wanted to do with the characters and situations she had so carefully created. show less