Fattening For Gabon is the second story of the short story collection in Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan.
This is the story of two young children, a brother and sister who are being raised by their uncle as their parents have AIDS and are dying. You learn as you read this story the deceit on the part of the uncle who tries to sell the children. I assume it is for sex trafficking but it is not said straight out in the story. This is a story that allows you to connect to the experiences and feelings of the children, a brother and sister taken away from their loving parents, brothers and sisters and extended family. It's gut wrenching at times although the language and dialect added to the dialogue is confusing at times and makes it hard to follow. I found myself guessing as to what was being said and reading between the lines. The last line at the end left me hanging a bit as I was unsure as to what really happens to the children.
This is an Oprah Book Club Selection , there is an Oprah's Book Club Webcast Live Tonight with the author Uwem Akpan. It starts at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, go to Oprah.com for more details. I haven't finished the book yet but I plan to listen to the Webcast tonight.
Here is a video with some thoughts Oprah shares about Fattening For Gabon:
*This book is my own personal copy. I am an Amazon Associate.
I found some of the dialogue hard to follow too. I think knowing some French helped me.
ReplyDeleteI just received this collection of stories in the mail. I may not get to them until January as I am swamped with reading right now.
ReplyDeleteI am always a little bit leary over Oprah's picks. I mean, she picks good books for discussion but I've not enjoyed many of her picks.