- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Picador USA; New edition edition (11 April 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 031242311X
- ISBN-13: 978-0312423117
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,055,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
"Abani's intensely visual style--and his sense of humor--convert the stuff of hopelessness into the stuff of hope."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"Extraordinary...This book works brilliantly in two ways. As a convincing and unpatronizing record of life in a poor Nigerian slum, and as a frighteningly honest insight into a world skewed by casual violence, it's wonderful...And for all the horrors, there are sweet scenes in Graceland too, and they're a thousand times better for being entirely unsentimental...Lovely." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"To say that this is a Nigerian or African novel is to miss the point. This absolutely beautiful work of fiction is about complex strained political structures, the irony of the West being a measure of civilization, and the tricky business of being a son. Abani's language is beautiful and his story is important."--Percival Everett
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
"Extraordinary...This book works brilliantly in two ways. As a convincing and unpatronizing record of life in a poor Nigerian slum, and as a frighteningly honest insight into a world skewed by casual violence, it's wonderful...And for all the horrors, there are sweet scenes in Graceland too, and they're a thousand times better for being entirely unsentimental...Lovely." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"To say that this is a Nigerian or African novel is to miss the point. This absolutely beautiful work of fiction is about complex strained political structures, the irony of the West being a measure of civilization, and the tricky business of being a son. Abani's language is beautiful and his story is important."--Percival Everett
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
""Graceland "is a grotesque, painfully hilarious look at the dark underground world of Lagos Nigeria, and it brings back vivid memories of an urban culture seemingly always on the verge of a complete societal breakdown. Chris Abani's riveting novel is an unrelenting focus on blight, squalor, savagery, and violence. It is a superbly written, structurally fascinating work and I found myself captivated by the hilarity of some of the scenes, often as I found myself on the verge of tears. It is a stunning debut by an immensely talented writer."
--Quincy Troupe, author of "Transcircularity, Miles: The Autobiography "and" Miles and Me"
"To say that this is a Nigerian or African novel is to miss the point. This absolutely beautiful work of fiction is about complex strained political structures, the irony of the West being a measure of civilization, and the tricky business of being a son. Abani's language is beautiful and his story is important."
--Percival Everett, author of "Erasure: A Novel"
"Chris Abani's "GraceLand" is a richly detailed, poignant and utterly fascinating look into another culture and how it is cross-pollinated by our own. It brings to mind the work of Ha Jin in its power and revelation of the new."
--T.C. Boyle, author of "Drop City"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--Quincy Troupe, author of "Transcircularity, Miles: The Autobiography "and" Miles and Me"
"To say that this is a Nigerian or African novel is to miss the point. This absolutely beautiful work of fiction is about complex strained political structures, the irony of the West being a measure of civilization, and the tricky business of being a son. Abani's language is beautiful and his story is important."
--Percival Everett, author of "Erasure: A Novel"
"Chris Abani's "GraceLand" is a richly detailed, poignant and utterly fascinating look into another culture and how it is cross-pollinated by our own. It brings to mind the work of Ha Jin in its power and revelation of the new."
--T.C. Boyle, author of "Drop City"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Elvis stood by the open window. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Elvis stood by the open window. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was given Graceland as a present, and when I looked it over, I thought it would be a book in which the political statements would dominate in the entire the story. But I was wrong. In Graceland, the writer successfully avoided that with his rich characters, fascinating details, fast pace and the emotional expressions of the characters, especially the protagonist. The characters in the story stand very well for themselves. I think GRACELAND is one of the most remarkable novels I have read and surprising enough, it showed that Nigeria has adopted so many things usually thought of as essentially American. I also recommend The Usurper and Other Stories,The old man and the Medal for encompassing many rich themes.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Chris Abani's Graceland is a great book.It details cultures,change,struggle,good,evil,forces and allows us at the same time an opportunity to be apprehensive and sentimental.It deals with Elvis's struggles with sexuality in a perverse and ethically erased diatribal way.Some telling details of rape,schiophilia,incest,anal sex,crucifixes,human trafficing,renouncing politics and just the age old struggle of men are evoked by Abani.The Igbo traditions are also examined and add a fine contrast to the western way of life which permeates aspects of the Nigerian cultural frame.The book even touches on issues such as minelstry and burlesque which was exciting and Abani's detail is commendable.Its a great book.Lively,energetic,real(a bit too real at times),harrowing,concealing but nonetheless contemporary in its questioning and perhaps subtle denounciation of the status quo.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
46 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
A beautiful book that needs an audience
21 April 2004
Format:Hardcover
This book was quite a moving, magical experience for me. I was first drawn by just the cover (which is funny considering we're not supposed to judge books by covers yet I almost always am drawn to striking covers and then the contents). When I read the jacket, I thought of the recent Brazilian film CITY OF GODS. Well, I thought Chris Abani's book had far more humanity, and far more hope. The ending is sublime, and very emotional. The book is rather sprawling, detailing the life of young Elvis Okwe. His struggles to do the right thing are incredibly intense and heartbreaking. He really wants to be a good person, a good man, and its often things that are out of his hands that prevent him from doing that. All of the characters are well-drawn and unconventional, without ever being stereotypical, especially Elvis's father, who you think is just abusive and distant, but is really a tragic, complicated man, torn apart by the love of his country. GRACELAND encompasses many themes, but most importantly, it is about "redemption," not just for Elvis but for the country that Mr. Abani clearly loves. I loved this book and I hope it finds its audience.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
So good!
27 April 2006
Format:Hardcover
Let me start by saying that this book was so good, so interesting and provoking both intellectually and emotionally. It follows a sixteen year-old boy named Elvis in Lagos, Nigeria, as he pursues various paths, from an idealistic dancer to a criminal to a prisoner of war, to his ultimate choice, where we see him as a more mature and independent young man.
What makes this novel so important is its function as a virtual tour of the actual hardships plaguing Nigeria, as seen through the innocent eyes of the main character. I think Elvis's naivete, offset by a tragic personal history, reflects the simplistic view of highly developed and morally righteous countries - especially America. As the reader (and Elvis) encounters poverty, classism, beggars being burned alive, civil war, torture, cannibalism, and government cruelty, our innocence is stripped away.
The struggles are counterposed, though, throughout the book with moments of hope, of kindness, of people working together to overcome unfairness and stand up for their rights. The book definitely evokes respect and optimism for the strength of the characters, and ends in a positive light, although it seems almost counterintuitive...
From the globally symbolic names to the glimpses of native Igbo culture, Graceland had me reflecting on the relationships between countries, particularly between America and the rest of the world, and universal mechanisms of hope in places of extreme hardship.
The writing style was reminiscent of a combination between Russell Banks's Rule of the Bone and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things [thank you, Oakwood!]. The meaningful names, as well as the combination of clashing cultures and classes and the narrative of the adolescent trying to navigate them, put me right in mind of Rule of the Bone. And in the back-and-forth of time settings, the familial anguish, and the disastrous results of government dictatorship on lower-class society, the book echoed some themes of The God of Small Things.
All in all, this book was an excellent, meaningful read, a great fictional piece addressing factual problems, solutions, and attitudes.
What makes this novel so important is its function as a virtual tour of the actual hardships plaguing Nigeria, as seen through the innocent eyes of the main character. I think Elvis's naivete, offset by a tragic personal history, reflects the simplistic view of highly developed and morally righteous countries - especially America. As the reader (and Elvis) encounters poverty, classism, beggars being burned alive, civil war, torture, cannibalism, and government cruelty, our innocence is stripped away.
The struggles are counterposed, though, throughout the book with moments of hope, of kindness, of people working together to overcome unfairness and stand up for their rights. The book definitely evokes respect and optimism for the strength of the characters, and ends in a positive light, although it seems almost counterintuitive...
From the globally symbolic names to the glimpses of native Igbo culture, Graceland had me reflecting on the relationships between countries, particularly between America and the rest of the world, and universal mechanisms of hope in places of extreme hardship.
The writing style was reminiscent of a combination between Russell Banks's Rule of the Bone and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things [thank you, Oakwood!]. The meaningful names, as well as the combination of clashing cultures and classes and the narrative of the adolescent trying to navigate them, put me right in mind of Rule of the Bone. And in the back-and-forth of time settings, the familial anguish, and the disastrous results of government dictatorship on lower-class society, the book echoed some themes of The God of Small Things.
All in all, this book was an excellent, meaningful read, a great fictional piece addressing factual problems, solutions, and attitudes.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Nigeria's Cultural Confusion
7 Sep 2005
Format:Hardcover
Graceland is an enlightening yet very disturbing look into the poverty-stricken and corrupt nation of Nigeria. Although this book is a coming-of-age story, it also displays a culture besieged by American influence and internal discontent. Abani's choice to name the main character Elvis is particularly interesting since the reference to an American pop culture icon contrasts with the other metaphorical names like Redemption and Comfort. He is cloaked in a culture to which he doesn't truly belong and is alienated in a manner reminiscent of Ralph Ellison's nameless invisible man. Descriptions of the elaborate and vital kola nut ceremony are spaced throughout the book in a way that implies how deeply embedded such rituals are in Igbo people despite the background of American runoff; Nigeria has a society of multiple layers. Abani displays the curious intermingling of these two contrasting cultures very well.
The book was very well-written and the format made it particularly realistic. It is not chronologically organized, but the date preceding each section prevents confusion. This format, with excerpts from his mother's journal and descriptions of the kola nut ceremony mixed in, makes it easier to understand Elvis' perspective; details about his earlier life and Nigerian culture provide a context in which the story is set. The only problem I felt there was with the book was I felt Elvis could have been more emotionally developed. We see him undergo incredibly traumatic events (he has to deal with a drunken failure of a father and the memory of a mother who died of cancer when he was very young in the midst of intense poverty and the widespread crime that inevitably accompanies it), but it would have been interesting to read about the mental repercussions in more detail and perhaps with more nuance; his emotions seem a bit too straightforward. I felt myself more fascinated with the lesser characters because they are more dynamic and have greater depth. The aptly named Redemption is particularly interesting because he initally appears to be Elvis' downfall, but ultimately is his savior.
The book was very well-written and the format made it particularly realistic. It is not chronologically organized, but the date preceding each section prevents confusion. This format, with excerpts from his mother's journal and descriptions of the kola nut ceremony mixed in, makes it easier to understand Elvis' perspective; details about his earlier life and Nigerian culture provide a context in which the story is set. The only problem I felt there was with the book was I felt Elvis could have been more emotionally developed. We see him undergo incredibly traumatic events (he has to deal with a drunken failure of a father and the memory of a mother who died of cancer when he was very young in the midst of intense poverty and the widespread crime that inevitably accompanies it), but it would have been interesting to read about the mental repercussions in more detail and perhaps with more nuance; his emotions seem a bit too straightforward. I felt myself more fascinated with the lesser characters because they are more dynamic and have greater depth. The aptly named Redemption is particularly interesting because he initally appears to be Elvis' downfall, but ultimately is his savior.
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