At this point, there is only one more chapter left for me to read of Nervous Conditions. Ever since I first opened up the book, I have thought that much of the book is dull. The first and biggest exception was the sentence: "I was not sorry when my brother died" (1). Besides this sentence and a few other events during the book, I feel that Dangarembga's writing lacks much of which is necessary to keep one enticed during each chapter. In contrast, I feel that each character seems interesting as each has their own unique personality and "nervous condition". I see more thought in Dangarembga creating the characters than when she created the plot. It seems to me that each character's personal story is more interesting than the story itself.
Nervous Conditions put me in a mindset I had never been in before. Yes, I realized that my family, myself and friends are very fortunate compared to others throughout the world. However, Dangarembga succeeded in showing me things through the eyes of a less fortunate person. This in my opinion was one of Dangarembga's biggest successes.
I read 150 minutes of Inheritance this week:
90 minutes on Friday
60 minutes on Saturday
Jared, you make a great point about the contrast between plot and characters in this novel. Though Dangarembga does, I think, amazing things with point of view in how Tambu tells the story, there are moments when the plot does seem flat or, like in the last chapter, where the pacing feels off. But the characters are so rich and complex, and I keep reading for that.
ReplyDelete