Review: Ade` by Rebecca Walker

 

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review.

 

 

 

PUBLISHER:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

I wouldn't say that I read Ade`. It was more of an experience. In a scant 112 pages the reader goes on an emotional journey with the young narrator Farida. Along with her twenty-one year old friend Miriam, Nineteen year old Farida is off on a journey across the world. It is a rite of passage for college kids of all ages. For Farida the journey through Giza, the Sudan, Nairobi and finally Lamu, a small island off the coast of Kenya, are a revelation to her.

She feels a connection with the people who share her skin color if not her upbringing. There is an unfolding beginning inside of Farida that blossoms to fullness when she meets Ade`.

From their first meeting the two of them can feel an immediate connection. There is also a shift in Walkers prose as the relationship between the two grows. Each word speaks volumes in this novel, they are chosen with care and reflect a myriad of emotions.

As the weeks past Farida begins to shift herself into the orbit of Ade’s world. She decides to build a life with him and her young heart fails to see any possible problems. Though the couples love is strong the realities of a Kenyan lifestyle become a harsh reality to Farida. Add sickness to that and a necessary trip back to America and the odds against these two seem impossible.

 

I’ve read this book twice. It is a quick but poignant read. It is a pleasure to be guided by an author, to see her vision of life and love. A stirring read.