Awu's Story

With this novel, Justine Mintsa has gifted readers with a mesmerising piece of Gabonese literature, which is rich in character development and cultural elements that depict epic symbolism.

Lovely, sad, and uplifting all at the same time. I’m going to go snuggle into some tissues and emotionally recover now.

Once in a while I find that’s it’s good to read a translation of a book that I believe will teach me something about another country, it’s culture, it’s customs. I came across the advanced copy of this short volume and then I read such high praises for it and how it represents the literature of Gabon, the way of the Fang people so I took the opportunity to see what it was about. It turned out to be a not only a learning experience, but also a moving story of a woman with modern ideas, an education and ingenuity, yet still wrapped in the customs of her people. As in many other cultures, in Ebomane, “the blessings of a household are measured in terms of its ability to produce.” Awu, reluctantly for all involved, becomes the second wife of Obame, a revered teacher when the wife he loves, Bella is unable to bear children. This is short in length so I won’t say much about the plot. I will say that I loved the character of Awu, for her hopes and desires and wherewithal to endure what she does in the name of tradition. It is of course, her story but it is also one of a family with its own problems, and a story reflecting the Gabon culture.

The forward provides a good bit of background on the author. Mintsa is well known and respected in her country for “the impact she has made on African literature “. At some point while reading this, I thought that too much was being given away about the story itself and I wanted to experience it for myself, so I went directly to the story and I’m glad I did. When I finished I did go back and read it and it did shed light on the story in the context of its importance to the literature of Gabon and how some of the things that happened in the story are part of the customs which might be hard for an outsider to understand. A wonderful learning experience. It’s good to try something different once in a while.

I received an advanced copy of this book from U of Nebraska Press through NetGalley.

Awu's Story was a delight-truly feminist literature at its best. The women are living in the traditional African (Gabonese) village but are modern in their strength navigating their own path between modernity and tradition. Uplifting and I wish it were longer!