Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe : Book Review

 

I discovered this book through Reddit. Now, if you know how Reddit works, you understand how difficult it is to actually sift through the junk of information available there to find something of value. I consider myself to be incredibly lucky to have found the absolute gem that Things Fall Apart turned out to be.

The story is set in a small village in Nigeria, named Umofia, and tells the tale of one of the greatest men there, Okonkwo. Blessed in every way that counts, Okonkwo was rich with plenty of yams, three wives and a title. In a sharp contrast from his father who was both lazy and laidback, he valued hard work and ruled his household with a short temper and an iron fist.

Achebe takes his sweet time establishing the characters and the scenario, and thankfully, spares no detail. As someone who read several Goodreads reviews and the synopsis with focus, initially I couldn’t wait to get on with the plot. Surprisingly, after the first few chapters, I found myself enjoying the slow pace of events and empathizing with the characters and their actions, regardless of how abhorrent I found them.

As someone living in the 21^st Century, it isn’t too surprising that certain parts of the book were far too gruesome for my taste, but I was so enraptured by Achebe’s writing style, that I couldn’t help but go on. Of course, it goes without saying that those who are particularly opposed to themes of domestic violence and child abuse should perhaps skip this book.

When Okonkwo killed his adopted son to prove his machismo, despite being warned to abstain from joining the group that took him away to be executed, I was enraged. But after Okonkwo attempted to rationalize his actions and make sense of his feelings, something he considers a weakness, I was absolutely heartbroken to say the least. The realization that his actions were the consequences of a lifetime of conditioning hit me like a pile of bricks and really set the foundation for who Okonkwo is as a character.

As the chapters go on, Achebe introduces the other members of Okonkwo’s family at a steady pace, and we are left with a wide range of characters who all have their own flaws, problems and admirable traits. Although none of these characters can be described as relatable, one ends up empathizing with them nevertheless. Just as I began to get used to the life at Umofia, Achebe hit me with another pile of bricks – Okonkwo’s exile.

When his gun misfires and a villager is caught in the bullet’s path, Okonkwo is exiles for 7 years for having a hand in the murder of a clansman. He soon leaves for his mother’s village and fings refuge with his maternal relatives. Okonkwo was extremely irate at the prospect of having to leave the only home he had ever known and having to start over somewhere else as a man without the titles and respect he had worked so hard throughout his lifetime to earn. Soon, the missionaries came and the world, as Okonkwo knew it, changed.

The fact that Achebe took his sweet time establishing life in Umofia and all the different people who live there only made the destruction caused by the missionaries all the more jarring. One might even say it is a metaphor for how the missionaries have destroyed cultures that had prevailed for thousands of year with a flick of a finger.

Achebe has woven an incredible tale of love, pain, heartbreak, and several inconvenient truths. His matter-of-fact style of storytelling and the underlying depth of his words are a deadly combination that will make the reader go through a plethora of emotions and come back wanting more.