While sexual violence is less graphically portrayed, Gyasi does not shy away from brutally honest depictions of life for black people in America and Ghana (also referred to as Asanteland). Instances of rape are handled as best as such scenes can be, avoiding graphic depictions for readers who are easily disturbed by such topics. Most chapters have a degree of romance given the importance of the family tree, but it takes a backseat to the focus on the slave trade and the systemic racism that spawned from it. Although older characters appear in later chapters, their individual stories are wrapped up well in their own segments. Author Yaa Gyasi’s debut novel Homegoing follows the sisters’ descendants across centuries of conflict and heartbreak on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, through colonialism, wars, and the not-quite-abolishment of slavery.Įach chapter of Gyasi’s novel follows a new character, alternating between Effia’s and Esi’s descendants. While Effia is gifted as a bride to an English governor, Esi is sold as a slave and shipped to America. In 1700s Ghana, half-sisters Effia and Esi live in ignorance of each other. Author Yaa Gyasi’s debut novel follows the descendants of two fictional half-sisters who lived in ignorance of each other’s existence.
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