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An Orchestra of Minorities Chigozie Obioma Books

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An Orchestra of Minorities Chigozie Obioma Books

The reader feels awfully sorry for Nonso. He seems like a nice enough man who is continually being taken advantage of and...duped. At the same time, the protagonist's naivete, his compulsive behavior, and his poor decision-making render him a little buffoonish---and, ultimately, the author offers us no light at the end of the tunnel---not one ray of hope---in what becomes a somewhat purposeless tale, a big dark cloud behind which there is not a glimmer of redemption---for anyone.
Is the book "epic?" Not by a long shot is Nonso an epic hero. Any critical comparison of Nonso to Odysseus is irrelevant. This is no wily adventurer weaving his way back to faithful wife, son and kingdom. This is not a man who lives by his wits, who commands respect and admiration. So, is he a tragic hero? Sort of. If we go with the idea of an internal flaw---or flaws---that bring the hero to his own demise. Nonso is a bad thinker. That's his fatal flaw. Additionally, who would crucify a hawk against a barn door? Something is fatally wrong with Nonso. In that old familiar area of dramatic catharsis, we do feel some pity and fear for the "hero", but we are glad, as we exit the theater, that we are not him. The problem is---we are not sure what lesson we are to take from Nonso's "fall." What WAS the author's intention??
This is a horrifying and frustrating novel---not so much for what is done to Nonso, but for what he does to himself. He seems a luckless and brainless character. Everything he touches turns to crap. He seems to be in a cage of his own making. Kind of a self-ruined man.


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An Orchestra of Minorities Chigozie Obioma Books Reviews

An Orchestra of Minorities is the definition of a slow burn. It has that tension and methodical pacing to its narrative that Martin Scorsese films have. An enrichment to that atmosphere is the quality of the prose, which reads like a surreal and ethereal narrative told by a local oral storyteller. The structure of the narrative has a well-meaning and intended rationale. The first act does a splendid establishment of the characters, the setting, and tone. If he had wanted to, Obioma could have written another fifty pages in this section because of the amount of culture that permeates in each individual passage, giving a complete sense of immersion and focus within the third person point of view. The slow pacing is necessary because this is one of those tales, much like George Orwell's 1984 , that highly benefits from a longer period of exposition and where the shortening of the climactic and resolution portions make them more intense and memorable without having a sense of dragging.

When I first picked it up, the supposed "twist" on Homer's classic is what drew me into checking it out. What readers ought to be more understanding of is that this is far more a character study and colonialist piece in the vein of Achebe's Things Fall Apart than anything resembling The Odyssey . I would certainly understand if someone came in with that set of expectations and did not have that part of the promise come to fruition until about forty percent through the novel and even then, the allusions were not that accurate to begin with. I feel like the marketers were more unsure what to do with this one because it is very difficult to describe. It is obviously an outstanding narrative, but from the perspective of a marketing staff I would not have understood what aspect of the story to emphasize. Homer is not what I would have gone for, however.

I do not have much experience with Chigozie Obioma's previous work, The Fishermen , but it is evident that a lot of the charm in his works comes from the presentation of Nigerian mythology and culture. It is definitely one of the most standout details that work to enhance the cosmology of Chinonso's world. Each chapter begins with the perspective of Chinonso's chi, recounting the events in the sequential order before the divine court of Chukwu. It makes the movement between the sentences drip with the accents of a different place and a different way of life.

There is a dreamlike quality to An Orchestra of Minorities that eventually leads way to what feels like a terrific and inevitable nightmare, but then you realize that this is not a nightmare that you wake up from comfortably. There is a pain to the message hidden here. There is certainly an odyssey to follow inside these pages, but to where it ends up, it is one to experience for yourself.
This is a heartbreaking story of a young Nigerian man who falls in love, and in an attempt to better himself for a future with his beloved, is cheated out of everything he owns. The story is imaginatively told by the man’s chi, an inner spirit, which gives a uniquely African element to the story. The chi enlightens the reader on what is happening in the present as well as what has happened in the past when it occupied other bodies.

I learned much about Nigeria, the culture of it as well as Cyprus, spiritual and religious beliefs, and the struggles of those affected by corruption through no fault of their own. This is perhaps the saddest book I have ever read. It will remain with me.

This book was provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
His first book was much better.
What a lovely expression of the Igbo people's religion and culture!
The reader is quickly immersed in a captivating drama about one man’s quest to defy the odds, overcome numerous hardships and win back the woman of his dreams. Heart-breaking and poignant Obioma broke my heart, but also I am now a devoted fan. I think this is a must read.
I wanted to like this book since reviewers I read seemed inspired by it. It was way too long, with entirely too many side trips into long detail that did not propel the story forward in any real way. The repetitiveness of storyline made it very difficult for me to return to it with anticipation but as more of a slog. The writing style seemed to shift from the first part of the book where it moved along well enough into the minutia of the latter two-thirds of the book.
The reader feels awfully sorry for Nonso. He seems like a nice enough man who is continually being taken advantage of and...duped. At the same time, the protagonist's naivete, his compulsive behavior, and his poor decision-making render him a little buffoonish---and, ultimately, the author offers us no light at the end of the tunnel---not one ray of hope---in what becomes a somewhat purposeless tale, a big dark cloud behind which there is not a glimmer of redemption---for anyone.
Is the book "epic?" Not by a long shot is Nonso an epic hero. Any critical comparison of Nonso to Odysseus is irrelevant. This is no wily adventurer weaving his way back to faithful wife, son and kingdom. This is not a man who lives by his wits, who commands respect and admiration. So, is he a tragic hero? Sort of. If we go with the idea of an internal flaw---or flaws---that bring the hero to his own demise. Nonso is a bad thinker. That's his fatal flaw. Additionally, who would crucify a hawk against a barn door? Something is fatally wrong with Nonso. In that old familiar area of dramatic catharsis, we do feel some pity and fear for the "hero", but we are glad, as we exit the theater, that we are not him. The problem is---we are not sure what lesson we are to take from Nonso's "fall." What WAS the author's intention??
This is a horrifying and frustrating novel---not so much for what is done to Nonso, but for what he does to himself. He seems a luckless and brainless character. Everything he touches turns to crap. He seems to be in a cage of his own making. Kind of a self-ruined man.