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Title: The God Who Begat a Jackal : A Novel by Nega Mezlekia ISBN: 0-312-28701-1 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 05 January, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.33 (3 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The God Who Begat a Jackal: Some Comments
Comment: This is a well-written story set in the vicinity of the Ethiopian town of Harer in the years 1750-1800, according to the author's postscript. It tells of a love-affair destined for failure due to reasons of differing social status. As a backdrop, there are currents of class and religious struggles.
The problem is that the religious struggle is between Amma and Mawu-Lisa, which were, according to the postscript, indigenous African religions. Perhaps indigenous African, but not indigenous Ethiopian. In being more universally African, the novel loses what is uniquely Ethiopian.
At the time the story takes place, historical Harer is an Islamic stronghold in a Christian empire. Christianity is part of the country's soul. But, there is no mention of Islam or Christianity in the book. Instead, there are people passing through walls or taking to the air, powered by African magic.
Thankfully, the author cannot completely escape his Ethiopian roots. Even in this alternate reality some things ring true to life in (the real) Ethiopia, such as the pervasiveness of a religion, the different societal expectation of men and women, and some of the peoples' social customs.
Rating: 3
Summary: Suspending disbelief
Comment: Historical fiction is a genre that I always thought you have to suspend disbelief to a certain degree. That is usually supplanted strongly with the backdrop of history, allowing the reader to believe that the events actually have or at least may have happened.
Mezlekia unfortuanately sabotages this with his antics of magic and unlikelihoods in plot, that moves it more into a genre I'd like to call historical fantasy. But unlike Wilbur Smiths' River God series where the scenery of history and the fantastic elements he uses, Mezlekia writes a story that only confuses the reader and is filled with slow moving sections that only encourages skimming. Gudu and Aster's characters are developed well in some ways, but their motivations for some of their doings come across as baffling at times.
This is a good beach book, that's all it is really for me at the moment.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good first novel but needed some serious editing
Comment: The love story was very engaging in this novel. However, about halfway through, it's lost and suddenly the plot became bogged down with historical information. It totally lost me and I found myself skipping pages. I think Nega is a great writer with much potential as a novelist. His first book was superb. I just think he needs to go back and perfect his novel writing skills. He's not there yet. The structure of this book was off. Historical elements are important but they need to be in the background, coloring the plot. More subtle. I eagerly await his next novel.
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Title: Notes from the Hyena's Belly : An Ethiopian Boyhood by Nega Mezlekia ISBN: 0312289146 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 05 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Ethiopians: A History (Peoples of Africa) by Richard Pankhurst ISBN: 0631224939 Publisher: Blackwell Publishers Pub. Date: January, 2001 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Ethiopia, 3rd: The Bradt Travel Guide by Philip Briggs ISBN: 1841620351 Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook (Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook, 2nd Ed) by Tilahun Kebede, Catherine Snow ISBN: 174059133X Publisher: Lonely Planet Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Raising Fences: A Black Man's Love Story (Today Show Book Club #4) by Michael Datcher ISBN: 1573223301 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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