How Beautiful We Were: A Novel
A fearless young woman from a small African village starts a revolution against an American oil company in this sweeping, inspiring novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers.
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Community Reviews
I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House publishing and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first novel by Imbolo Mbue that I have read and was incredibly excited to read, How Beautiful We Were, after reading numerous positive reviews for, Behold the Dreamers. Mbue writes from a lyrical and brutally honest perspective, forcing the reader to live the tale and feel the pain that the characters are experiencing.
The novel centers around a fictional South African village called Kosawa, where its inhabitants are literally being poisoned by the carelessness and disregard of an American oil company, Pexton. Pexton has overrun their rivers and their land with toxic waste and pipelines to extract the oil that lies beneath the village. The people cry out, bury their family members too frequently, and tend to their sick children as Pexton continuously tells them there isn't anything wrong with their land and threatens them from pursuing it any further.
The narratives throughout the book change between different villagers which allows for the reader to understand how each person is feeling throughout. I especially enjoyed hearing from the children as they discussed the whispers they hear from their parents, not understanding who the men were from the company that would have mandatory meetings in their village, and their age-mates becoming sick and dying a common occurrence. It really drove home for me and lifted from the page, the heartache, sadness, and rage that the parents and other villagers felt as I read each page. It's a story of loss, but one of resistance.
The issue that I had with the story-telling was that it was so meandering and incredibly slow to read. I wanted to read the story and hear each character's experience, but the story would then change course and speak to something that felt almost irrelevant or one that would drag the story on. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it and felt that it had such a promise and heartbreakingly honest story.
This is the first novel by Imbolo Mbue that I have read and was incredibly excited to read, How Beautiful We Were, after reading numerous positive reviews for, Behold the Dreamers. Mbue writes from a lyrical and brutally honest perspective, forcing the reader to live the tale and feel the pain that the characters are experiencing.
The novel centers around a fictional South African village called Kosawa, where its inhabitants are literally being poisoned by the carelessness and disregard of an American oil company, Pexton. Pexton has overrun their rivers and their land with toxic waste and pipelines to extract the oil that lies beneath the village. The people cry out, bury their family members too frequently, and tend to their sick children as Pexton continuously tells them there isn't anything wrong with their land and threatens them from pursuing it any further.
The narratives throughout the book change between different villagers which allows for the reader to understand how each person is feeling throughout. I especially enjoyed hearing from the children as they discussed the whispers they hear from their parents, not understanding who the men were from the company that would have mandatory meetings in their village, and their age-mates becoming sick and dying a common occurrence. It really drove home for me and lifted from the page, the heartache, sadness, and rage that the parents and other villagers felt as I read each page. It's a story of loss, but one of resistance.
The issue that I had with the story-telling was that it was so meandering and incredibly slow to read. I wanted to read the story and hear each character's experience, but the story would then change course and speak to something that felt almost irrelevant or one that would drag the story on. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it and felt that it had such a promise and heartbreakingly honest story.
One of my favorites. Very informative about displaced peoples in a foreign country due to the oil industry of America. Very well written.
The most beautifully written story I’ve read!
Imbolo Mbue is so talented in how she effortlessly makes different perspectives speak so truly to a collective voice.
If you have read “Behold the Dreamers” you know how talented Imbol Mbue is. After reading this one, you will realize that she is a singular talent amongst writers. With “How Beautiful We Were” she has crafted an originally heartbreaking tale that rings as true as time and stirs echoes of “Things Fall Apart” by Achebe. In this effort, Imbolo Mbue’s mastery as a writer is shown off in the well executed multi-narrative style. Employing a wide array of voices, perspectives, and lived experiences around the same events.
This approach illuminates every angle of the story, leaving no dark corners unlit but maintaining a sense of mystery at what could have been. What goes unsaid is the impacts to the people and the destiny of their village. What gets spoken loudly is the broad line between youthful idealism and cruel reality. Our characters struggles underscore the fragility of western democratic principles. Their voices and views are used to expound upon the anti and pro-capitalist experiences.
Well teased out threads tie it all together and make this a philosophical masterpiece. One of them being how Mbue highlights that along with Capitalism, the west exports suffering, at least in how the “prosperity” promised is delivered. Another theme circles around who controls the narrative and what truths live on after the dust settles. Lastly, Mbue repeatedly takes on the definition of what is freedom and who has it. As she demonstrates, even the most powerful live in a sort of prison of their own making. A brilliant read and recommended.
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