“… A love sip, he called it, because you shared the little things you loved with the people you loved.”

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 307

Rate: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old Kambili’s world is circumscribed by the high walls and frangipani trees of her family compound. Her wealthy Catholic father, under whose shadow Kambili lives, while generous and politically active in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home.

When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili’s father sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt, a University professor, whose house is noisy and full of laughter. There, Kambili and her brother discover a life and love beyond the confines of their father’s authority. The visit will lift the silence from their world and, in time, give rise to devotion and defiance that reveal themselves in profound and unexpected ways.

This is a book about the promise of freedom; about the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood; between love and hatred, between the old gods and the new.

My Take

The major part of the plot revolves around religion and how it affects and dictates the characters lives. Seeing how Kambili’s family and the people around her perceive religion, is interesting and makes you take a seat back and wonder.Set in post colonial period, Purple Hibiscus is quite a read. I liked Chimamanda’s writing & her delivery. As this is my first book by her, I can’t say I have a reference to her works & style but it’s something I really want to explore. The plot is great and the story explores love, fear and respect. I was hooked. The characters are quite relatable and their development is amazing, especially Kambili.

“Morality, as well as the sense of taste, is relative.”

All round Purple Hibiscus is a great book, one that I’d recommend to you guys.

Tell me in the comments, have you read Purple Hibiscus?If yes, what did you think of it?

What’s your favorite Chimamanda book and what would you recommend by her to a newbie?