Half of a Yellow Sun

I finally finished reading Half of a Yellow Sun. After carrying it around with me every day for almost a month, I finally had a chance to sit down and read it this weekend.

The book basically follows two twin sisters as they experience love, life and family during the Nigerian civil war in the late 60s. I had heard much about the book so I was excited to read it. In addition, I wanted to read a book written by a young Nigerian author. I know almost nothing about the Nigerian civil war so I was hungry to find out more.

I was really disappointed in the book. First of all the love stories were pathethic. They felt unrealistic and I never really got into the main characters and into the servant who was narrating the story. Next I learned almost nothing about the war. Sure people had to leave their homes because of bombing, people died, many starved to death, but I could have guessed that without reading over 400 pages. The book disappointed me on so many levels. But it inspired me to go out and look for good Nigerian authors. I know so little about our history.