THE ELIGHTENMENT OF THE GREENGAGE TREE byShokoofeh Azar

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4/5

My copy

About

 Set in Iran in the decade following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, this moving, richly imagined novel is narrated by the ghost of Bahar, a 13-year-old girl whose family is compelled to flee their home in Tehran for a new life in a small village, hoping in this way to preserve both their intellectual freedom and their lives. But they soon find themselves caught up in the post-revolutionary chaos that sweeps across the country, a madness that affects both living and dead, old and young.

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree speaks of the power of imagination when confronted with cruelty, and of our human need to make sense of the world through the ritual of storytelling. Through her unforgettable characters and glittering magical realist style, Azar weaves a timely and timeless story that juxtaposes the beauty of an ancient, vibrant culture with the brutality of an oppressive political regime.

THE DEATH OF VIVEK by Akwaeke Emezi

 

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3.5/5

Penguin Riverhead

Now available

If you are looking for a "whodunit" novel, this book fits the format.

If you are looking to read an intelligent, cohesive novel with sexually fluid characters, this isn't the book.

Just a few words, I loved Freshwater, I waited with anticipation for The Death of Vivek Oji. Halfway through the novel a thought occured, perhaps the author was under pressure to write another novel. 

I continued reading still hoping to find the depth the author gave her characters in Freshwater.

Poor Vivek...dead before we open the first chapter, missing from the novel except the very few pages allowed to him. What we find are teenagers having sex, lots of graphic sex, and when not having sex, they discuss Vivek, before he died, after he died.

Vivek, could have been a great character, with much insight into his life, his choices...oh well.

I came to the end disappointed, the end was predictable, the hints were there throughout the novel.

Still I will read her next novel, I know the author has the talent to write a novel worthy of Freshwater.