EPEOLATRY

BOOK 4.5

Things Fall Apart (1958)

by Chinua Achebe

“There is no story that is not true, [...] The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.”

The African literature after the colonialization was mostly written by the Europeans, so this series of books a.k.a 'The African Trilogy' was written by Achebe an African Cristian who then rejected his Christian name and settled on the traditional one in the response of the books such as 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad who claimed Africans as cultureless savages.

The plot was an utmost fascination for me to read this book as I was seeking for historical religious conflicts. Overall, this book is awesome, but the initial half of it is too much revolving around culture, tradition, and values to unprove the European's perspective that it lost its structure and charms at many a times. But the half of it - after the arrival of Christians - it's damn interesting.

There's a lot of varieties in characters - Okonkwo being stubborn, manly, aggressive, a hustler, a classic hero with tragic flaws to bring his own wrath. Nwoye and Unoka being the opposite with traits and flaws. Even the British were distinguished from each other - the benevolent Mr. Brown and the totally Black/White Reverend Smith. There are great symbols and motifs that personify every aspect of the history.

Despite some of its flaws, it was a great read to understand Africa ...