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Maxwell's Reviews > Glory: A Novel
Glory: A Novel
by
by
Longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize
Where do I even begin with Glory, the sophomore novel from Zimbabwean author, NoViolet Bulawayo? She's 2 for 2 in getting her books nominated for the Booker Prize. And while I wasn't a huge fan of her debut We Need New Names, for some of the very same reasons I disliked that book, I LOVED this one. It's currently my top contender to win this year!
The novel is a satirical, fictionalized account of the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état that eventually pressured the resignation and removal of President Robert Mugabe.
In this story taking place in the fictional African nation of Jidada, the 'Father of the Nation' is forced out of his rule and eventually usurped by his vice president who goes on to...repeat history and essentially turn into the dictator that the rebels tried to eliminate.
Oh, and the twist? These characters are all animals. The leader is a horse, the military commanders are various breeds of dogs; we also follow goats and sheep, cats and hens. A la Orwell's Animal Farm, Bulawayo satirizes politics through barnyard animals.
But while at times its laugh out loud ridiculous, the overall tone is not light. That's what makes this book so effective. It's emotional core is strong; I even found myself tearing up at times when characters who have been beaten down and repeatedly abused by the powerful, dictatorial government, make connections that feel so real and raw and HUMAN. It doesn't matter that they are literal animals. Bulawayo manages to balance that absurdity with realism in a way that only highlights the struggle, never mocking it or reducing its power.
I also love the narrative voice in this book. Once I got into it—and I will admit it did take a few chapters to really get into the groove of what this book was doing—I was hooked. It almost reads at time like an oral history. I can fully imagine listening to someone telling you this story, recounting various historical events and their observations and involvement in them. I'm sure the audiobook for this is great, and might be helpful for people struggling to get into the rhythm of this writing.
I have to say, on paper I wasn't really excited to read this one. I thought it might feel derivative in its similarity to Animal Farm. But I was happy to be wrong! This is one of the best books I've read this year, and I think Bulawayo is pushing boundaries in form, syntax, genre and more with this one. I'd be happy to see it win this year's Booker Prize!
Where do I even begin with Glory, the sophomore novel from Zimbabwean author, NoViolet Bulawayo? She's 2 for 2 in getting her books nominated for the Booker Prize. And while I wasn't a huge fan of her debut We Need New Names, for some of the very same reasons I disliked that book, I LOVED this one. It's currently my top contender to win this year!
The novel is a satirical, fictionalized account of the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état that eventually pressured the resignation and removal of President Robert Mugabe.
In this story taking place in the fictional African nation of Jidada, the 'Father of the Nation' is forced out of his rule and eventually usurped by his vice president who goes on to...repeat history and essentially turn into the dictator that the rebels tried to eliminate.
Oh, and the twist? These characters are all animals. The leader is a horse, the military commanders are various breeds of dogs; we also follow goats and sheep, cats and hens. A la Orwell's Animal Farm, Bulawayo satirizes politics through barnyard animals.
But while at times its laugh out loud ridiculous, the overall tone is not light. That's what makes this book so effective. It's emotional core is strong; I even found myself tearing up at times when characters who have been beaten down and repeatedly abused by the powerful, dictatorial government, make connections that feel so real and raw and HUMAN. It doesn't matter that they are literal animals. Bulawayo manages to balance that absurdity with realism in a way that only highlights the struggle, never mocking it or reducing its power.
I also love the narrative voice in this book. Once I got into it—and I will admit it did take a few chapters to really get into the groove of what this book was doing—I was hooked. It almost reads at time like an oral history. I can fully imagine listening to someone telling you this story, recounting various historical events and their observations and involvement in them. I'm sure the audiobook for this is great, and might be helpful for people struggling to get into the rhythm of this writing.
I have to say, on paper I wasn't really excited to read this one. I thought it might feel derivative in its similarity to Animal Farm. But I was happy to be wrong! This is one of the best books I've read this year, and I think Bulawayo is pushing boundaries in form, syntax, genre and more with this one. I'd be happy to see it win this year's Booker Prize!
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Reading Progress
August 9, 2022
–
Started Reading
August 9, 2022
– Shelved
August 9, 2022
– Shelved as:
to-read
August 9, 2022
– Shelved as:
black-authors
August 10, 2022
–
44.31%
"This is really clever. Lots of interesting, very timely conversations!"
page
183
August 11, 2022
–
72.64%
"the scene between Destiny & her mom reflecting on war violence was so emotional! the contrast between the satirical, ridiculous bits of this book and then the really harrowing, realistic stuff is powerful"
page
300
August 12, 2022
–
Finished Reading
