Purple Hibiscus

I found one blog with book reviews, so I thought I would jot a few notes to remember this novel for discussion.

This Nigerian tale apparently follows an oral tradition. It tells of two Nigerian families, a brother and a sister. The brother, Eugene, is wealthy but treats his wife, son, and daughter strictly, primarily driven by the Catholic church. While he follows its tenets in terms of ritual and charity to the community, he translates its message into abuse of his wife, who has two miscarriages; his son who defies him; and his daughter who is made practically mute by his discipline. The children find freedom in the household of his sister, a widowed professor, raising her children alone. They see her acceptance of her father who follows native spiritual practices and her firm love with her children. While visiting her aunt, the daughter meets and fall in love with a Catholic priest in the community who shares her affection but cannot break his vows. The mother poisons Eugene, and Jaja, the son, goes to jail for the murder to protect his mother. The sister and family get visas to America where she can get a teaching position. The Catholic priest goes to Europe. Formal religion is the evil in this book, evident in the acts of the father and the priest, and in lesser ways as when a Nigerian girl refuses to take an English communion name. The story is haunting. It is sprinkled with Igbo terms which defy translation. It provides a rather ugly view of the impact of white culture on the Nigerian lifestyle.