Homegoing is a generational historical fiction novel detailing a family’s journey starting with the transatlantic slave trade. Gyasi’s diligent research and exceptional story telling make this a must read for historical fiction lovers. But what about the reader cultivating a taste for the genre or the ones leary about diving into it?

Historical fiction is one of my least favorite  genres, but after reading Love Songs of Web Du Bois by Jeffers (5⭐️), Remembrance by Rita Woods, and even White Teeth by Zadie Smith, I’ve grown a bit fond of it. What the aforementioned three novels have in common is their structure. The reader is presented with a family tree and/or 2-3 MCs that are present for a majority of the book while  more characters are added as the story progresses. This type of format allows the reader to form a solid connection with the characters as time moves throughout chapters. Homegoing differs in this way and reads more as a collection of intertwined short stories. 

The short story format in Homegoing impeded on me becoming fully connected with some of the characters. However, I recognize that feeling uprooted from one character’s story to move on to the next is perhaps intentional; as it symbolizes how men, women, and children were uprooted from their homes and sold into slavery. Ultimately, the final chapter left me white satisfied, but my criticism that certain characters deserved a little more time to flesh out their stories remains. 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi tackles the most uncomfortable parts of slavery and life afterwards with careful detail. It is a great addition to everyone’s library as it provides perspective into the reality of what it’s like and has been living in a black and brown body on stolen land.