Beasts of No Nation : A Novel
Author(s): Uzodinma Iweala
“Remarkable. . . . Iweala never wavers from a gripping, pulsing narrative voice. . . . He captures the horror of ethnic violence in all its brutality and the vulnerability of youth in all its innocence.” —Entertainment Weekly (A)
The harrowing, utterly original debut novel by Uzodinma Iweala about the life of a child soldier in a war-torn African country
As civil war rages in an unnamed West-African nation, Agu, the school-aged protagonist of this stunning novel, is recruited into a unit of guerilla fighters. Haunted by his father’s own death at the hands of militants, which he fled just before witnessing, Agu is vulnerable to the dangerous yet paternal nature of his new commander.
While the war rages on, Agu becomes increasingly divorced from the life he had known before the conflict started—a life of school friends, church services, and time with his family, still intact. As he vividly recalls these sunnier times, his daily reality continues to spin further downward into inexplicable brutality, primal fear, and loss of selfhood.
In a powerful, strikingly original voice, Uzodinma Iweala leads the reader through the random travels, betrayals, and violence that mark Agu’s new community. Electrifying and engrossing, Beasts of No Nation announces the arrival of an extraordinary writer.
Review(s):
“A tour de force.”
“Brilliant. . . . This is a remarkable novel that suggests a dazzling literary future.”
“A startling debut…. Iweala’s acute imagining allows him to depict the war as a mesh of bestial pleasures and pain.”
“An outstanding first novel. . . . Resonant, beautiful. . . . Iweala’s book will be readily embraced by readers.”
“Electrifying. . . . A harrowing read. . . The story is gripping enough. But even more stunning is the extraordinarily original voice. . . . Always breathless, often breathtaking, and sometimes heartbreaking.”
“Searing and visceral. . . . Agu’s unblinking innocence gives the story its most powerful and disturbing beauty.”
“The hypnotic present tense, first-person narration draws the reader deep into the child soldier’s shattered psyche.”
“Remarkable. . . . Iweala never wavers from a gripping, pulsing narrative voice. . . . He captures the horror of ethnic violence in all its brutality and the vulnerability of youth in all its innocence.”
“Devastating. . . a raw and brutal story about the horrifying effects of cruelty and the incredible power of hope.”
“This is an extraordinary book. . . . so vivid [and] powerful.”
Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction, New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age Finalist, Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award for Fiction, Los Angeles Times Book Award
ISBN: 9780063139039