Things Fall Apart

I know a lot of people really hate this right now, but I really didn't hate the book. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it.

For me, it feels like less of a work of fiction than a cultural study. Of all topics of historical fiction, this is likely the most fascinating one to me, so that certainly helped in my enjoyment of the novel. In addition, I didn't find the novel difficult to understand in the slightest. I thought Achebe's writing style was quite similar to the writing style of more recent novels.

While the book did not have one set plot, which would certainly bother some people, it definitely had sub-plots. There was clearly a sub-plot for each part of the novel, and there was a loose, overarching plot that was simply Okonkwo's life. This really didn't bother me, but perhaps that was partially due to the way I looked at the novel. I didn't read it like a story. I read it like it was a work of a fictional, cultural study through the eyes of Okonkwo.

I liked Okonkwo, actually. I found him to be a very flawed and realistic character. No, I did not agree with everything he did. But that's part of what makes him great. He's realistic and has depth,
which is absolutely important for having a connection with a character (looking at you Hassan).

One gripe I had was the oversimplification of some major plot points. There were three major parts of the novel that changed the course of the novel. And yet... they practically had a paragraph's worth of explanation. And talk about that plot twist at the ending (don't you DARE read the spoiler unless you've finished the book). I mean, I was so confused! There was no explanation for the suicide whatsoever. He killed the messenger and BANG suicide. I wanted to know why he did it. I reread the part several times, hoping to find some sort of an explanation, but I could find nothing. It was terribly disappointing. This was irritating namely because there were lengthy sections of the book dedicated to things I really didn't need to know. I would have rather had more explanations for these events than to have learned about the correct time to plant your gosh darn yams.

Overall, I thought the novel was average as a whole. I liked it, but I didn't think it really lived up to the hype. I'd been expecting something more from an author that my teacher had described as the first great African writer.