I feel conflicted about this story. I appreciate its grand scope and design, and the Igbo cosmology, but there were glaring issues in pacing. I was reminded of the writing style of Dickens, in which every detail is painfully laid out significant or not, and I couldn't help wonder if this story would have been better in an episodic format. The writing is sophisticated, complex, and dense. A slow read to be sure, but not undeserving of your time. Due to this style, Chinonso's character was well-developed, and we, the readers, know him completely, in his lowest of lows and highest of highs. The character development of the First Incantation paid off in the Second and Third, as we glumly followed poor decision after poor decision, and ultimately, saw our protagonist become consumed by illogical rage. When the prose focused on Chinonso's life I was captivated, but often Obioma disrupted the story by yanking us out of the earthly realm into the chi's narrative, which droned on and on with an unfortunate verbose proclivity. A particularly infuriating instance came at the end of the Second Incantantation. I had planned to set the book down for the evening at this juncture but at the height of the action, I was entranced and turned into part three eagerly. Yet, the story came to a grinding halt as Chinonso's chi began lecturing anew. In fact, I found it so infuriating that I did set the novel down for the evening and did not pick it up again for several weeks. When I finally did, I found the remainder of the story uneven and repetitive. That is not to say that Obioma's depiction of Chinonso's spiral is not realistic, but the writing of it lagged. By the last four pages, I was begging for any redemption. Ultimately, the ending left me disappointed and a bit regretful. I am still struggling to decide if the payout here was worth the buy-in.

Although it was not an enjoyable read, Obioma's An Orchestra of Minorities is incredibly in-tune with human emotion and suffering, especially for the most vulnerable members of a society - the lonely. Ironically, I was most excited about this book because it was narrated by a chi...and yet, that very character is the book's undoing. ( )

Drama, disappointment, love, friendship, and hardships all are beautifully explained. I have come to know many things that there are is a different world from what I live in. There are places while reading I felt I am fortunate enough. I thank myself for picking this book to read.


( )

This is the story of Chinonso, an Igbo poultry farmer in Nigeria. One day, returning from the market, Chinonso sees a woman, Ndali, contemplating suicide, and intervenes to stop her. He goes on his way but they meet again, and he falls deeply in love with her, a love that Ndali reciprocates.

Unfortunately for Chinonso, Ndali comes from a wealthy family who consider him far beneath her. Most especially, they scorn his lack of an education. Chinonso resolves to win their respect, and her hand, by selling everything he has and going to Cyprus to gain a degree in business. This rash decision leads to dire events that cause his downfall.

Chinonso's story is related by his guardian spirit, or chi, as part of an extensive appeal to Chukwu and the other Igbo gods over some grave wrong that Chinonso has committed. This narrative device allows Obiomo to invest a great deal of Igbo culture and history into the story, turning it into something very different. Comparisons have been made to The Odyssey, which Obiomo references in his story, but I think that they are somewhat tenuous, and this book stands by itself as a devastating and tragic tale. ( )

https://sravikabodapati.blogspot.com/2022/06/an-orchestra-of-minorities-by-chigo... ( )

Chinonso has grown up poor and finds himself devastated first at the loss of his sister to an older man, then by the death of their father. He finds himself listless and searching for connection, but is looking in all the wrong places. That is until a chance encounter in the night with a woman trying to end her life. Chinonso saves her and ends up falling in love her. For a while he is contented. With Ndali and his poultry farm where he cares for chickens, he wants nothing more than for it to last forever. But when he learns that Ndali comes from a wealthy, educated family that he could never measure up to, Chinonso's desire to prove that he is good enough for Ndali's love will be his undoing. To what depths will the Chinonso fall? Will he ever be able to find his way out?
Chigozie Obioma has crafted a novel from a whole new perspective, from the point of view of the main character's chi. Telling a story from the angle of the chi gives reader a new window into a story and a look into Igbo culture. I enjoyed learning about tradition and culture. I liked the comparison to the Odyssey made by Chinonso. Unfortunately, I was not engrossed by this particular story, though I look forward to reading future books by Obioma. ( )