Book Review of I Hope You Find What You're Looking For by Bsrat Mezghebe
Name of Book: I hope you find what you're looking forAuthor: Bsrat Mezghebe
ISBN: 978-1-324-09249-0
Publisher: Liveright
Type of book: Eritrea, guerilla, independence, 1991 May to September, Ethiopia, history, choices, decisions, secrets, war, relationships, USA Washington D.C.
Year it was published: 2026
Summary:
A radiant, highly anticipated debut from the Well–Read Black Girl Books series, delving into the secret lives of three women on the eve of Eritrean independence.
The year is 1991. Eritrea is on the verge of liberation from Ethiopian rule and in Washington, D.C.’s tight–knit Eritrean community, change is in the air. Thirteen–year–old Lydia and her family are grappling with what peace—after decades of war—might mean for their future, just as they welcome a new relative into their Berekhet, a cousin newly arrived from Ethiopia to attend medical school. Berekhet encourages Lydia to confront a barrage of new ideas for the first time, about nationhood, family, and what it means to be truly free. Meanwhile, her mother, Elsa, a former rebel fighter, and the family matriarch, Mama Zewdi, contend with regrets and secrets long–buried—secrets that the emboldened Lydia is determined to uncover, including the truth about her martyred father. Written with warmth and sharp humor, Bsrat Mezghebe’s mesmerizing debut novel is a loving ode to an immigrant community on the cusp of a new age.
Main characters would be Zewdi, Elsa and Lydia. Zewdi is the oldest, almost in her 50s and is multitalented in cooking, managing and what seems to be everything else, but at the same time she has never had an opportunity to be married and have a family of her own. Elsa was a guerilla fighter distantly related to Zewdi and seems to be carrying a trauma of sorts that she refuses to confront. She is practical and has never left her guerilla life behind her. Lydia is Elsa's daughter and loves reading a lot. She is very driven by the mystery of her unknown father and is desperate to find answers about him. She strikes me as an innocent and open girl. The secondary characters, in particular Berekhet, weren't as well developed as the women and I really have wanted to learn more about him. Another secondary character, Asgedom, was well developed and the reader honestly roots for him
Theme:
Life is unpredictable and secrets will come out, and war can mess up entire lives
Plot:
The story is in third person narrative from Zewdi's, Elsa's and Lydia's points of views, with titled chapters going back to Elsa's past as a rebel fighter in Eritrea. It begins in May of 1991 in Washington D.C. when the fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea finally winds down and stops. At the start of the story, the two women, Elsa and Zewdi will be forced to wreste with decisions hidden and made in the past. Lydia, however, was raised in America (An interesting contrast to Berekhet who has newly arrived from Eritrea) and seems to have little to no understanding of her home country, in particular she is curious to know a lot more about her father. As the summer continues on, the women are forced to confront uncomfortable truths and they have to question their selves deeply in their ultimate desires, as well as what lines they are willing or unwilling to cross.
Author Information:
(From goodreads)
N/A
Opinion:
I enjoy reading and learning about different cultures which is one of the reasons why I wanted to read this book. (So far in literature I haven't really explored the continent of Africa fully) While I learned quite a lot about Eritrea, in particular history as well as war and its hopes and dreams, I felt as if the characters of the youngest generations really needed to be worked on more. The previous two generations of Elsa and Zewdi are done and written very well, in particular their experiences and views, but Lydia and Berekhet are not as well examined as I had hoped they would be. Although I'm not of Eritrean descent, I did feel that I learned a lot about the community and the country by reading this novel, which I am grateful for.
This was given for review
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
I enjoy reading and learning about different cultures which is one of the reasons why I wanted to read this book. (So far in literature I haven't really explored the continent of Africa fully) While I learned quite a lot about Eritrea, in particular history as well as war and its hopes and dreams, I felt as if the characters of the youngest generations really needed to be worked on more. The previous two generations of Elsa and Zewdi are done and written very well, in particular their experiences and views, but Lydia and Berekhet are not as well examined as I had hoped they would be. Although I'm not of Eritrean descent, I did feel that I learned a lot about the community and the country by reading this novel, which I am grateful for.
This was given for review
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
Comments
Post a Comment