I have to admit I had low expectations when I started reading this book. The top reviews of Goodreads had DNF'ed this book and called it long-winded.
My feelings about this book are wholly different though. I also found it hard to get into. The writing style isn't easy going. It's been called lyrical, but I didn't think it flowed. However, once I was in, I was in and I couldn't put it down.
I initially picked the book up, because the premise sounded great. The story is about the Italian invasion in Ethiopia during WWII. Another thing most people don't know about is the fact that there were a lot of female soldiers in Ethiopia back then. Mengiste has written a work of fiction based on facts. We follow Hirut and Aster, two female soldiers who are the fiercest soldiers of all. I love learning new things in books, and this book definitely opened my eyes a bit more in terms of the country's history.
This book is written from different points-of-view. There are sections that cover Haile Selassie's story. We hear Hirut's thoughts, but also the Italian commander & photographer play a big role in the telling of the story.
If Hilary Mantel final instalment of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy, would not have been released this year I think Maaza's novel would be a strong contender for the Man Booker Prize this year. Who knows, she might just win anyways!
Many thanks to the publisher Canongate Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
4 stars
Statistics:
Date read: September 13, 2020
Date published: September 3, 2020
Publisher: Canongate Books
Format: eBook
Pages: 448
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1
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