This book was part of a facebook book exchange I recently did. I hadn't heard of the author beforehand, but had seen a few positive reviews of the book, so I knew it was a good one. Surprisingly, I read this poolside during 4th of July weekend. I say surprisingly because it is not what one might consider a beach read.
The novel is epic -- it spans 300 years and each chapter has a different character POV and the writing is especially inspirational and bold. "Homegoing" tells the story of two half-sisters who were born in Ghana at the time of the Slave Trade (told you it wasn't a beach read). Their lives take very different turns-- one sister is married off to a white man whose primary business is overseeing the slave trade; the other sister becomes one of the slaves that's sold and departs for America. Each chapter is told from the POV of their descendants and continues to weave through different periods of time. The thing that struck me the most was you would think their lives would improve after being exposed to the most heinous of treatment (slavery), but each chapter had its own brand of heartbreak that felt especially poignant considering the current status of race relations.
The novel beautifully weaves together in the end and I felt myself mesmerized at the scope of the story and the multitude of diverse, unique, and complicated characters. It is an important read and one that I enjoyed immensely.
You can purchase Homegoing here.