Reading between the Lines: Separated half-sisters forge different futures in this historical novel
Author Yaa Gyasi’s debut novel follows the descendants of two fictional half-sisters who lived in ignorance of each other’s existence. Photo credit: Amazon.com
by Shuyler Clark
In 1700s Ghana, half-sisters Effia and Esi live in ignorance of each other. While Effia is gifted as a bride to an English governor, Esi is sold as a slave and shipped to America. Author Yaa Gyasi’s debut novel Homegoing follows the sisters’ descendants across centuries of conflict and heartbreak on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, through colonialism, wars, and the not-quite-abolishment of slavery.
Each chapter of Gyasi’s novel follows a new character, alternating between Effia’s and Esi’s descendants. Although older characters appear in later chapters, their individual stories are wrapped up well in their own segments. Most chapters have a degree of romance given the importance of the family tree, but it takes a backseat to the focus on the slave trade and the systemic racism that spawned from it. Instances of rape are handled as best as such scenes can be, avoiding graphic depictions for readers who are easily disturbed by such topics.
While sexual violence is less graphically portrayed, Gyasi does not shy away from brutally honest depictions of life for black people in America and Ghana (also referred to as Asanteland). The plot delves deeper into the horrors of peoples’ lives than is typically taught in schools, especially impressive given how the plot spans two and one-half centuries in three hundred pages. In particular, the novel demonstrates how colonialism harmed Asante society beyond the slave trade and how so many of today’s societal injustices in the United States are founded on racism.
Although the events following Esi’s bloodline may strike Western audiences harder given they are close to home, Gyasi devotes equal attention to the Asantes as well as the Fantes people of Ghana. Events, such as the war over the Asante empire’s Golden Stool, are significant when trying to understand the current political and economic climate and are a strong foundation to the personal conflicts of Esi’s descendants.
More than being the sum of their circumstances, the characters are all deeply human. Their actions and inner conflicts reflect the realities they endure, but they also pursue their own hopes when they can. Gyasi’s use of symbolism throughout the plot also contributes to each character’s story. The recurrence of fire in Effia’s bloodline and water in Esi’s consistently demonstrates how the two families have faced different circumstances. This symbolism reaches a satisfying and optimistic conclusion in the final chapter.
Homegoing is an unvarnished depiction of how black people were and continue to be affected by events of centuries past. Readers wanting a heartfelt tale without a Eurocentric slant will find it within this novel’s pages.
Shuyler Clark is a graduate of Stockbridge High School and Lansing Community College. When she is not reading or writing, she can be found snuggling with her birds.
