REVIEWbyU - Things fall apart, by Chinua Achebe

Dan has sent his thoughts on Things fall apart and gave it 4 stars. In the library, you will find it in the adult section, but you may also find it on your VCE reading list.

The novel takes place in the small Nigerian village of Umuofia and centres around one of the tribes most succesful men, Okonkwo, and the coming of western civilisation to the African continent.

Okonkwo lives his life to be the opposite of his father, who he deemed weak, and thus builds a facade in which he masks his little humanity in violence and power.

The story, which is broken into 3 "parts", chronicles the everyday tribal events (that gives great insight into the tribal lifestyle) of Umuofia in a near fable like way. Achebe's use of african proverbs, idioms and defamiliarisation of western culture also highlights the african psyche that is barely present in modern literature.

While the novel's slow start may bother some readers, the detail into Achebe's use of language and tribal life is relevant to the climax of the novel itself and the "falling apart" which is stated in the title.



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