Stephanie Jane reviewed How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
A story which rings uncomfortably true
3 stars
How Beautiful We Were is an environmental novel exploring how an American oil company's irresponsible practices and lack of care causes the gradual death of a small African village, Kosawa, from pollution. It'a David and Goliath story of a powerless people attempting to establish their right to Not have their farmlands regularly flooded by leaking oil pipes and Not to have their river used as a dumping ground for industrial waste. In the face of commercial and political greed through, and with the distant decision makers unaffected personally, Kosawa's Sisyphean struggle will take generations to be resolved.
Having already read a couple of early reviews, I was prepared for the change of pace that occurs after about a fifth of the novel. It's a realistic reflection of the changes of mindset in Kosawa, but I did find the device to be a little disconcerting as a reader. I wondered if …
How Beautiful We Were is an environmental novel exploring how an American oil company's irresponsible practices and lack of care causes the gradual death of a small African village, Kosawa, from pollution. It'a David and Goliath story of a powerless people attempting to establish their right to Not have their farmlands regularly flooded by leaking oil pipes and Not to have their river used as a dumping ground for industrial waste. In the face of commercial and political greed through, and with the distant decision makers unaffected personally, Kosawa's Sisyphean struggle will take generations to be resolved.
Having already read a couple of early reviews, I was prepared for the change of pace that occurs after about a fifth of the novel. It's a realistic reflection of the changes of mindset in Kosawa, but I did find the device to be a little disconcerting as a reader. I wondered if a stronger Part 1 and Part 2 distinction would help? The leaders of Kosawa realise that the swift favourable response they had been led to expect from Pexton, the oil company, is just the first in many obstacles and the whole process will be stacked in favour of money, not lives.
Mbue tells her story from several increasingly desperate perspectives which I liked as it allowed me to hear a whole chorus of Kosawan voices. The primarily agricultural village would already have been struggling against modernity, but being sold out so others can profit appears to be the final straw. What Mbue effectively puts across here is for how long these people must suffer in isolation. Kosawa is a single fictional community, but its story is being repeated for real in hundreds, probably thousands, of impoverished communities across the globe right now. It's all very well for us in the rich countries to tut and sigh and maybe donate a tenner towards a school bus to alleviate our consciences. However, until we stop expecting people with far less than ourselves to pay the price for our luxuries, How Beautiful We Were is a story that will continue to ring uncomfortably true.
