Historical Fiction Annotation: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

 

Author: Chinua Achebe

Title: Things Fall Apart

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publication Date: 1958

Number of Pages: 209

Geographical Setting: Southeastern Nigeria

Time Period: Late 19th Century

Plot Summary: Okonkwo is famous in the villages of Umuofia he is a wrestling champion, hard-working, and a successful farmer. He wants to be nothing like his father who was a lazy man who died in a lot of debt. He works hard until eventually his gun misfires accidently killing a child. This causes him to be exiled from the land of his father for seven years. He then lives in his motherland for the seven years of his exile. While there Christian missionaries begin to appear and impose themselves on the natives. When he returns to his village it has been changed forever, and he is not sure if he can find a place where he fits anymore. 

Subject Headings:

• Colonialism - Fiction
• Nigeria - Fiction
• Igbo (African People) - Fiction 

Historical Fiction Appeals

Setting: "As with other genres that emphasize a sense of place, worldbuilding (the formation of a vividly created and detailed setting) is crucial in Historical Fiction" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 191).

The pre-colonial and mid-colonization Nigeria is beautifully described. Achebe intricately describes all aspects of the peoples lives from the villages, the building/structure of the houses, the agriculture, the family dynamics, and many other aspects all work together to flesh out the setting.  

Story Line: "History is story. Readers turn to the past, in fiction and in fact, to understand the broad sweep of narrative that has formed the world as we know it" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 192).

This is a story that is not often heard here in the west. The colonization of Africa is often told from the colonizer's perspective. This is a good book for someone to see the effects of colonization from an author who is living in post-colonial Nigeria. 

Characterization: "As much as history is story, individuals enact events, making characterization the flip side of the story coin" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 193).

This story works because of the character Okonkwo. He is a very traditional Nigerian man. The story would not work if he was not a strong character who was so fully representative of the time period in which he comes from. 

Three Terms to Describe this Book

• Engaging
• Epic
• Harrowing

Historical Fiction Read-Alikes

A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

This is a story about how different people were affect by a historical even that took place from 1952-1960 in Kenya. 

Common Appeal: This is a story about an event that took place in Kenya written by a Kenyan author. This is similar to Things Fall Apart. 

Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela

This is the story of the author's uncle. It is a fictionalized retelling of his life. 

Common Appeal: This is a story about a Sudanese person written by a Sudanese person. That is similar to Things Fall Apart.

Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

This book is set in Kenya not long after independence. The story follows four different characters and how their lives are affected by the Mau Mau rebellion. 

Common Appeal: This book deals with the affects of colonization and western influences on Kenya. 

Other Genre Read-Alikes

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan (Literary Fiction)

This is a collection of short stories about children in crisis in different parts of Africa. 

Common Appeal: This story tells us what is happen in Africa from an African perspective just like Things Fall Apart.

The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (Non-Fiction)

This book is a philosophy text about the affects that colonization has on the individual and the nation. 

Common Appeal: They both feature colonization written about by those who have been colonized. 

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

This is an autobiography about the life of the first democratically elected president of South Africa.

Common Appeal: Nelson Mandela worked to end apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid occurred in South Africa because of colonialization. 

References

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd ed.). ALA Editions.