Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala

November 29, 2005 1:41 AM

I’m starting this today — fresh from Amazon. It’s a highly touted and brief first novel by a sharp and privileged young Nigerian author who spent much of his youth at elite schools in the US. More on it very shortly.

2-19-06 - I finished this today at the gym, weeks after I’d first picked it up. It’s a slim volume and a quick read, but I’d put it down in favor of other stuff. My feeling is that this should have been a short story, but was stretched to book form — albeit a very short book.
There is one chapter that I found absolutely compelling, about the rebel army fighter’s youth in his village, having to flee his home when civil war broke out and his family was dispersed and his father killed.
The ending, too, is poignant and powerful.
The rest of the book, though, didn’t move me so much as wear me out. I didn’t find the language terribly convincing, and the mannerisms, placing nearly every verb in the gerund, annoying.

Learn more about "Beasts of No Nation"

Posted at 1:41 AM

Comments

Just wondering how you found this novel. I have it on my stack, but saw that you were going to comment and thought I would wait to see how you found the book.

Tom

Posted by: Tom at January 18, 2006 1:46 PM

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