Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Small Beer Press (2010), 188 pages
ISBN
1931520666 / 9781931520669
Description
This fascinating debut by Karen Lord-a retelling of a Senegalese folktale-earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and won the Frank Collymore Award. When Paama finally leaves her gluttonous husband, she attracts the attention of the undying spirit Patience, who gives her Chance's Chaos Stick as a gift. But Chance insists that only he should wield the stick's powers. "This is one of those literary works of which it can be said that not a word should be changed."-Booklist, starred review
Pages
188
Media reviews
Inspired by a Senegalese folktale, Redemption in Indigo is the perfect antidote to the formula fantasies currently flooding the market. When Paama finally leaves her husband Ansige after 10 years of marriage, he follows her in an attempt to win her back. After a series of humorous, often slapstick
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episodes in which foolish Ansige gets himself into deeper trouble, only to be extricated by Paama, the watching djombi spirits give Paama the Chaos Stick which allows her to affect chance and probability. However, the Indigo Lord wants the stick back, kidnaps Paama, takes her on a wondrous tour and attempts to impress her with his magic. Précis fails to do justice to the novel's depth, beauty and elegant simplicity. Written from the point of view of an omniscient storyteller in the style of an oral narrative, this is a subtle, wise and playful meditation on life and fate. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member ltimmel
The story spins off from a Senegalese folk tale abot a foolish, gluttonous husband that the book begins with, casting the gluttonous husband's estranged wife Paam (who is a fabulous cook) as its "heroine" (the term the narrator uses to characterize her), in a conflict with Chance, a djobmi ("one of
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the undying ones"), whose power over probability (mostly referred to as "chaos") has been taken from him and given to Paam. Chance's "shadow" in the world wears an indigo skin, and the redemption in the title refers to Chance's redemption, not Paam's (for Paam is an exemplary human being). Since the narration takes the style of a folk tale, and the narrator adopts the role of storyteller, there are many generalizations about human nature, as well as lessons. Which works fine, though the narrator's recurring defensiveness is a bit irksome. I found this particular mixture of science with fantasy fresh and delightful. The style as a whole is gentle and good-humored, the writing lovely. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fledgist
I've long complained that too much fantasy has run the tropes of Arthurian legend into the dirt, or otherwise assumed that the only body of mythology that exists is European. This novel, by a Barbadian writer, takes a Senegalese folktale and gives it a Caribbean twist (djombi and baccou are eastern
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Caribbean rather than explicitly Senegambian). It is a finely told tale that combines quest, redemption, cooking, humour, trust, and Bildungsroman. Lord is a wonderful addition to the numbers of West Indian sff writers, and I look forward to more from her. Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
Lightweight, gentle fantasy of a modern but folklorish Africa (there are buses and cellphones, but what matters to the story is the village, home cooking, traveling merchants on pack animals, and Spider, along with other inhuman actors). The protagonist has left her glutton husband and ends up in
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possession of great power that can be wielded for good or ill, but the lessons from her experiences are not necessarily the ordinary ones. Might be fun to read to a kid. Show Less
LibraryThing member snat
What a lukewarm cup of "meh." After all of the stellar reviews, I just knew this was going to be ah-may-zing, but, alas, it's basically a fable. Ever since Paulo Coelho's New Agey-craptastic The Alchemist, me + fables = nervous twitch. Because I start to develop a Community's Jeff Winger like
The basic premise of the story is that the deity known as Chance has become hardened toward mankind. Over the years, he has watched as men have squandered second chances and made a mockery or waste of the gift that is life. For this reason, the other gods no longer trust him with the Chaos Stick, the instrument of chance to nudge events toward a certain probability. The Chaos Stick is stolen from Chance and given to a woman named Paama who has proven herself to be kind, patient, and impervious to the suggestions of the minor Trickster deities who sometimes inhabit the bodies of insects and stir up mischief whenever possible. When Chance discovers Paama has his power, he sets about trying to get it back.
The story was marginally entertaining and it was at least a quick read, but even at that the plot seemed to drag on. This is not necessarily a criticism of Lord as the book does what it's intended to do: mimic the narrative style of a traditional storyteller who is in no hurry to get to the end of the story and is even eager to follow parallel narratives to their endings before bringing the main story to a close. I suppose this storytelling style had a certain charm when villagers gathered around the campfire each night to listen to the newest installment of the tale (it's not like there was tv to watch or books to read, so I guess sitting in the dark and listening to an old man ramble on was the cat's pajamas after a long day of running from lions and whatnot). However, this meandering quality did not translate well into written form for me as I expected it to be more cohesive and more to the point. The plot itself was like a dog chasing rabbits in the middle of a hunt, and the characters were fairly uninteresting and one-dimensional (except for Paama, and even she was bland). Again, all of this is as it should be for a fable. What I've really learned from this reading experience is that fables and I need to break up and maybe see other people. Don't look at me like that, fables--it's not me, it's you.
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aversion to the feeling that someone's trying to teach me something--and I never learn anything! This didn't really turn out to be as didactic as The Alchemist because it seemed more focused on the storytelling than on the lesson, but just waiting for that other moral-of-the-story shoe to fall was mentally exhausting.The basic premise of the story is that the deity known as Chance has become hardened toward mankind. Over the years, he has watched as men have squandered second chances and made a mockery or waste of the gift that is life. For this reason, the other gods no longer trust him with the Chaos Stick, the instrument of chance to nudge events toward a certain probability. The Chaos Stick is stolen from Chance and given to a woman named Paama who has proven herself to be kind, patient, and impervious to the suggestions of the minor Trickster deities who sometimes inhabit the bodies of insects and stir up mischief whenever possible. When Chance discovers Paama has his power, he sets about trying to get it back.
The story was marginally entertaining and it was at least a quick read, but even at that the plot seemed to drag on. This is not necessarily a criticism of Lord as the book does what it's intended to do: mimic the narrative style of a traditional storyteller who is in no hurry to get to the end of the story and is even eager to follow parallel narratives to their endings before bringing the main story to a close. I suppose this storytelling style had a certain charm when villagers gathered around the campfire each night to listen to the newest installment of the tale (it's not like there was tv to watch or books to read, so I guess sitting in the dark and listening to an old man ramble on was the cat's pajamas after a long day of running from lions and whatnot). However, this meandering quality did not translate well into written form for me as I expected it to be more cohesive and more to the point. The plot itself was like a dog chasing rabbits in the middle of a hunt, and the characters were fairly uninteresting and one-dimensional (except for Paama, and even she was bland). Again, all of this is as it should be for a fable. What I've really learned from this reading experience is that fables and I need to break up and maybe see other people. Don't look at me like that, fables--it's not me, it's you.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
This isn't my usual sort of fantasy novel, but when it was selected by my book club, I decided it was a chance to broaden my horizons. It proved to be a smooth and fast read. The tone of the book is completely conversational, like I'm sitting at the storyteller's feet as they tell the tale. I have
The characters are especially strong. Paama is a genuinely good person, but she's not perfect. Her husband is appalling and comedic and tragic all at once; the djombi are incomprehensible, yet make sense at the same time.
I don't think this will be a keeper for my crowded shelves, but it was a good read, and I'm glad I was challenged to pick it up.
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read Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, and that already introduced me to the basics of the trickster mythology in Africa. Redemption in Indigo goes deeper, but after the first few pages, I never felt like I was out of my depth.The characters are especially strong. Paama is a genuinely good person, but she's not perfect. Her husband is appalling and comedic and tragic all at once; the djombi are incomprehensible, yet make sense at the same time.
I don't think this will be a keeper for my crowded shelves, but it was a good read, and I'm glad I was challenged to pick it up.
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LibraryThing member StigE
At times delightfully playful with words and descriptions, but for me the style of narrator (fairytale tale-spinner) removed any sense of real danger to the characters and lessened the emotional impact this book could have had. Still delightful, though.
LibraryThing member TadAD
Barbadian author Karen Lord takes the Senegalese folk tale "Ansige Karamba the Glutton" and uses it as a way of injecting her main character into her own fable of responsibility and redemption. The story is filled with Anansi tricksters, with personifications of Chance and Patience, and all the
It's also filled with a great deal of sly and gentle humor. Plus, of course, the moral lessons. Some readers may find the story a bit bland in the way that those sort of tales often are, and dread the inevitable Point (with a capital P). Lord knows this; as her narrator says, "There are those who utterly, utterly fear the dreaded Moral of the Story...Everything teaches, everyone preaches, all have a gospel to sell! Better the one who is honest and open in declaring an agenda than the one who fools you into believing that they are only spinning a pretty fancy for beauty’s sake."
To be honest, I didn't like her saying that. I prefer my parables to be unapologetic and unconfrontational about what they are: Here is what I wrote; if you like it then I'm glad and, if you didn't, then I guess you won't read my next story. Still, it didn't really diminish my enjoyment of this entertaining and humorous tale that seems surprisingly self-assured for a debut novel. There is something of the feel of oral tradition in this book, of the folk tale rather than magical realism — although darned if I know where to draw the line between those two — that appealed to me.
I hear her subsequent works are different in tone and style. I look forward to seeing what else she can do as I add her to the growing list of Caribbean authors of speculative fiction whom I appreciate.
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other demiurges that make the world work. It is filled with human beings, none perfect, many comical, all of whom recognizable to the reader.It's also filled with a great deal of sly and gentle humor. Plus, of course, the moral lessons. Some readers may find the story a bit bland in the way that those sort of tales often are, and dread the inevitable Point (with a capital P). Lord knows this; as her narrator says, "There are those who utterly, utterly fear the dreaded Moral of the Story...Everything teaches, everyone preaches, all have a gospel to sell! Better the one who is honest and open in declaring an agenda than the one who fools you into believing that they are only spinning a pretty fancy for beauty’s sake."
To be honest, I didn't like her saying that. I prefer my parables to be unapologetic and unconfrontational about what they are: Here is what I wrote; if you like it then I'm glad and, if you didn't, then I guess you won't read my next story. Still, it didn't really diminish my enjoyment of this entertaining and humorous tale that seems surprisingly self-assured for a debut novel. There is something of the feel of oral tradition in this book, of the folk tale rather than magical realism — although darned if I know where to draw the line between those two — that appealed to me.
I hear her subsequent works are different in tone and style. I look forward to seeing what else she can do as I add her to the growing list of Caribbean authors of speculative fiction whom I appreciate.
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LibraryThing member ellen.w
LONG ASIDE: What's the difference between a "fairy tale" and a "folktale"? (And where does "myth" fit into that?) A fairy tale obviously needn't include actual fairies (is there a single Disney movie with fairies?). I have a sneaking suspicion that we (by which I mean English speakers of European
OKAY, BACK TO THE POINT: This is a charming fairy tale retelling -- of what I'm told is a Senegalese story -- with Lord's (I am now beginning to think) characteristic sense of humor and playfulness. There are no villains, only characters with conflicting motivations. The stakes are not played as particularly high (though I guess many lives are at risk?), which was both refreshing and a bit disappointing. I finished the book thinking of it as not much more than a confection, if a pleasant one.
So: if you're new to Lord, I'd recommend starting with The Best of All Possible Worlds. If you've already read that and are impatient for the next book, you probably won't be unhappy with Redemption in Indigo.
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descent) tend to classify as "fairy tales" stories that reflect our own cultural background and as "folktales" those that seem exotic to us. I am therefore deliberately using the term "fairy tale" in this review; I would, however, very much like to hear if others have come to the same conclusion or analyzed the distinction more knowledgeably.OKAY, BACK TO THE POINT: This is a charming fairy tale retelling -- of what I'm told is a Senegalese story -- with Lord's (I am now beginning to think) characteristic sense of humor and playfulness. There are no villains, only characters with conflicting motivations. The stakes are not played as particularly high (though I guess many lives are at risk?), which was both refreshing and a bit disappointing. I finished the book thinking of it as not much more than a confection, if a pleasant one.
So: if you're new to Lord, I'd recommend starting with The Best of All Possible Worlds. If you've already read that and are impatient for the next book, you probably won't be unhappy with Redemption in Indigo.
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LibraryThing member ellen.w
LONG ASIDE: What's the difference between a "fairy tale" and a "folktale"? (And where does "myth" fit into that?) A fairy tale obviously needn't include actual fairies (is there a single Disney movie with fairies?). I have a sneaking suspicion that we (by which I mean English speakers of European
OKAY, BACK TO THE POINT: This is a charming fairy tale retelling -- of what I'm told is a Senegalese story -- with Lord's (I am now beginning to think) characteristic sense of humor and playfulness. There are no villains, only characters with conflicting motivations. The stakes are not played as particularly high (though I guess many lives are at risk?), which was both refreshing and a bit disappointing. I finished the book thinking of it as not much more than a confection, if a pleasant one.
So: if you're new to Lord, I'd recommend starting with The Best of All Possible Worlds. If you've already read that and are impatient for the next book, you probably won't be unhappy with Redemption in Indigo.
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descent) tend to classify as "fairy tales" stories that reflect our own cultural background and as "folktales" those that seem exotic to us. I am therefore deliberately using the term "fairy tale" in this review; I would, however, very much like to hear if others have come to the same conclusion or analyzed the distinction more knowledgeably.OKAY, BACK TO THE POINT: This is a charming fairy tale retelling -- of what I'm told is a Senegalese story -- with Lord's (I am now beginning to think) characteristic sense of humor and playfulness. There are no villains, only characters with conflicting motivations. The stakes are not played as particularly high (though I guess many lives are at risk?), which was both refreshing and a bit disappointing. I finished the book thinking of it as not much more than a confection, if a pleasant one.
So: if you're new to Lord, I'd recommend starting with The Best of All Possible Worlds. If you've already read that and are impatient for the next book, you probably won't be unhappy with Redemption in Indigo.
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LibraryThing member snash
This was a good book but too fanciful for my tastes. I had trouble following the many analogies and spirit figures but enjoyed the tale.
LibraryThing member Scriptopus
It's hard to sustain the cadences and colloquialisms of a traditionally told fairy tale for the length of a novel, harder still to make it accessible - indeed comfortable and charming - for the modern reader, and hardest of all if the language and culture from which the story is extracted are
Most writers in English who work with myth and legend as their source material are firmly based in northern European and Greek traditions; those few who have taken inspiration from what we used to call the Dark Continent have more often than not betrayed - however innocently and unintentionally - their inherited prejudices and presumptions in the way they have recrafted the material. Lord's authenticity, her delight in her characters and her sure handling of the more ambiguous and nuanced moral terrain of these tales, are a breath of fresh air. The central theme of her story is not the grandiose good vs. evil to which we have become accustomed in our modern retelling of myth; it's not even the only slightly more subtle notion of right or wrong. It is the far more real human conundrum of deciding what is better or worse from a range of less than ideal options. It's about choices and consequences, small sacrifices and self-inflicted damage, the dangers of cynicism and the redemptive power of simply trying to do your best. It's told firmly but gently, with a lot of humour and a bit of heartbreak. It's a lovely tale from a wonderful writer. I'm looking forward to more from her.
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foreign to most of its likely audience. And yet, with Redemption in Indigo, Karen Lord has done just that. A Barbadian writer building her story from a Senegalese folk tale, the Caribbean and African rhythms thrum gently from the first page to the last. We can hear them in the amused scolding of children, feel them in the dusty warmth of the breeze, smell them in the mouthwatering odours of her heroine Paama's cooking. Most writers in English who work with myth and legend as their source material are firmly based in northern European and Greek traditions; those few who have taken inspiration from what we used to call the Dark Continent have more often than not betrayed - however innocently and unintentionally - their inherited prejudices and presumptions in the way they have recrafted the material. Lord's authenticity, her delight in her characters and her sure handling of the more ambiguous and nuanced moral terrain of these tales, are a breath of fresh air. The central theme of her story is not the grandiose good vs. evil to which we have become accustomed in our modern retelling of myth; it's not even the only slightly more subtle notion of right or wrong. It is the far more real human conundrum of deciding what is better or worse from a range of less than ideal options. It's about choices and consequences, small sacrifices and self-inflicted damage, the dangers of cynicism and the redemptive power of simply trying to do your best. It's told firmly but gently, with a lot of humour and a bit of heartbreak. It's a lovely tale from a wonderful writer. I'm looking forward to more from her.
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LibraryThing member clfisha
"A rival of mine once complained that my stories begin awkwardly and end untidily. I am willing to admit to many faults, but I will not burden my conscience with that one. All my tales are true, drawn from life, and a life story is not a tidy thing. It is a halftamed horse that you seize on the
It's a tale of redemption (of course), of a Jaded undying one Chance who has lost of all love of humanity, of Paama who is chosen to take his some of his power by unwittingly being gifted Chaos Stick. A retelling of a Senegalese folk-tale with a cadence and charm all of its own, evocative in its African setting. Gentle and uplifting in feel, not a hard good vs evil feel but full of human nuance.
However I am not overly a fan of moral fables, nor of quite simple, extremely passive tales. Purposefully designed perhaps and charming to some but for me failed to really engage. Of course it had other issues.. there is the narrator, a far too intrusive voice who's wry authorial commentary just overwhelms the tale and starts to irritate as well as intrude. This may work better as an audio book of course and I would be interesting in a live telling. Otherwise refutations (like the quote above) stop being amusing and start feeling like being lectured from afar. Then of course when the simplicity of style bleeds into characterisation there goes yet another possibility to hook the reader, I really didn't give a jot what happened especially because I suspected how it would all work out.
I guess you know whether this could be a story for you. It's got rave reviews but taste is taste and this one wasn't for me.
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run and ride with knees and teeth clenched, and then you regretfully slip off as gently and safely as you can, always wondering if you could have gone a few metres more." It's a tale of redemption (of course), of a Jaded undying one Chance who has lost of all love of humanity, of Paama who is chosen to take his some of his power by unwittingly being gifted Chaos Stick. A retelling of a Senegalese folk-tale with a cadence and charm all of its own, evocative in its African setting. Gentle and uplifting in feel, not a hard good vs evil feel but full of human nuance.
However I am not overly a fan of moral fables, nor of quite simple, extremely passive tales. Purposefully designed perhaps and charming to some but for me failed to really engage. Of course it had other issues.. there is the narrator, a far too intrusive voice who's wry authorial commentary just overwhelms the tale and starts to irritate as well as intrude. This may work better as an audio book of course and I would be interesting in a live telling. Otherwise refutations (like the quote above) stop being amusing and start feeling like being lectured from afar. Then of course when the simplicity of style bleeds into characterisation there goes yet another possibility to hook the reader, I really didn't give a jot what happened especially because I suspected how it would all work out.
I guess you know whether this could be a story for you. It's got rave reviews but taste is taste and this one wasn't for me.
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LibraryThing member ThePortPorts
I liked this book: a lot. I've been working on expanding the ethnic/cultural/sociological base of my reading, and this book fits in nicely to that scheme. There is something deeply appealing to me about the African-based/flavored/inspired fantasy I've read.
Redemption in Indigo is simply lovely. I
The actual story-telling voice is very nice. Easy to read, fun to read... I found myself searching out moments to read this little book. The negative part of this is that it's a slim novel, so I was done in a couple short days. Boo! I would have liked more!
And yet: we have grown accustomed to novels that are bloated, fattened, full of authorly self-aggrandizement and a perceived preciousness of language, which, in the end, dilutes the core of a story. Lord doesn't do that. This is story, and moral, and magic and love and loss... it's realization and redemption and all of that in a neat 188 page package. How much I respect a novel that doesn't pretend that bigger is better!
Redemption in Indigo is just right.
Redemption in Indigo is simply lovely. I
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didn't buy into the initial "narrator addressing the reader" bit at the beginning, as I tend to doubt novels that lean on the narrator as an additional "character." Often it yields distracting commentary that rubs raw spots in my brain. The narrator works fine in this novel, though, and Lord never lets it get out of control. The actual story-telling voice is very nice. Easy to read, fun to read... I found myself searching out moments to read this little book. The negative part of this is that it's a slim novel, so I was done in a couple short days. Boo! I would have liked more!
And yet: we have grown accustomed to novels that are bloated, fattened, full of authorly self-aggrandizement and a perceived preciousness of language, which, in the end, dilutes the core of a story. Lord doesn't do that. This is story, and moral, and magic and love and loss... it's realization and redemption and all of that in a neat 188 page package. How much I respect a novel that doesn't pretend that bigger is better!
Redemption in Indigo is just right.
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LibraryThing member DebbieBspinner
Lovely writing. Lyrical and poetic - like a folktale.
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
Lovely. It is very much a "fairy tale" in structure and tone - the narrator is a distinct voice, and regularly breaks the fourth wall, and the characters are as much archetypes as they are individuals - but it was based on an entirely different mythology and culture than I am familiar with, and
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that was a delightful change. The writing is engaging and deft, and Lord does some very smart and interesting things with the timing of various revelations that gives a lot of punch to what could have been a very pat ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member paperloverevolution
This book gives you exactly the same feeling of enchantment you get from listening to a really great storyteller, which is a very hard thing to capture in print. It's got all the right pauses and asides, the right amounts of humor and suspense and romance and intrigue, and an uplifting but uncheesy
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moral. Absolutely magical. Show Less
LibraryThing member montsamu
Published by Small Beer Press in July 2010 and on several year???s best fantasy lists, Karen Lord???s Redemption in Indigo finally arrived at Audible on June 15, courtesy of a Recorded Books production, narrated by Robin Miles. Miles has 56 Audible titles to her credit, but this was my first,
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though her 2010 narration of Ekaterina Sedia???s The House of Discarded Dreams is waiting for me on my wish list for one of these days. Redemption in Indigo is a short listen at a shade under six and a half hours, and it???s well worth discovering. The overall arc of the story comes under the frame of a storyteller relating the events, complete with asides (such as ???we???ll learn more about this later???) and informalities (such as ???let us skip forward through time a bit so as to miss the boring parts???) and footnotes and digressions. The story comes across in a playful, light way, the way of an elder telling a favorite story around a village campfire. This is a wonderful change of pace not just from the battlefields and seriousness of much of the rest of fantasy these days, but also in its leisurely pace, delighting on simple surroundings imbued with the mythological references which have been passed down through the generations. As a work of oral storytelling goes, this one???s a keeper, and I???m glad I was able to enjoy it in this format. Show Less
LibraryThing member zeborah
I loved the fantastic elements of this, and Paama's ways of dealing with her husband. Being given the Chaos Stick I'd expected the story to be more about what she does with it, so the path it took instead was unexpected but all the same satisfying.
(Though the trope of a human/god relationship is
(Though the trope of a human/god relationship is
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not one I really grok. Here as in [[The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms]] - which I was reminded of for more reasons than this while reading - the power dynamic implications of it just don't work for me; but de gustibus.) Show Less
LibraryThing member JimDR
This was a lovely story, treading the line between myth and fairytale, and a delight to read. It even has a moral!
The story takes place in an unnamed African country, where a young woman is given the powerful Stick of Chaos used by a Djombi deity to guide the vagaries of chance. The Djobmi has been
The writing is graceful and enjoyable, and the characters human and relatable. It's concentrated warmth in a story.
The story takes place in an unnamed African country, where a young woman is given the powerful Stick of Chaos used by a Djombi deity to guide the vagaries of chance. The Djobmi has been
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lying down on the job, so another prods his progress by kicking off a series of events that include trickster spider gods, lovestruck poets, hidden treasure and gluttonous good-for-nothing husbands. The writing is graceful and enjoyable, and the characters human and relatable. It's concentrated warmth in a story.
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LibraryThing member jenzbaker
Paama leaves her slovenly husband and goes home. Based on a Sengaliese folktale. Paama gets chaor stick and the trickster and blue guy come after her. Gorgeous writing evocative of a storyteller who addresses the reader sometimes -- an oral tradition. (Djombi inhabits people) Funny, visual, good
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family dynamics Show Less
LibraryThing member kgodey
Redemption in Indigo is a short novel inspired by African folklore. Paama has left her foolish and gluttonous husband, Ansige, and refuses to return to him. When he tries to win her back and instead makes a complete fool of himself, the djombi (spirits/gods) are so impressed with the way she
I love the narrative style of this book – it takes the folktale inspiration and runs with it, it’s just like a storyteller was sitting in the room with you and telling you a story. We meander back and forth in time and point of view, and the narrator is quite opinionated at times. Paama is a terrific heroine, she’s calm, kind, and intuitively knows that the best thing to do with power is not use it. She’s also pragmatic – when the djombi threatens her family and asks her to give him the stick, she immediately hands it over. Of course, things aren’t that simple, since she actually has to believe that he’s the better person to wield it, and that’s the titular “redemption” of the story.
On the surface this story seems really simple, but there are a lot of layers and side plots – Anansi’s troubles with tricking people (yes, Anansi’s in this book!), Paama’s self-centered sister and her search for an eligible husband, the extremely competent House of Sisters that help Paama out. There’s not a lot of time spent of these, but they’re full of heart and the author’s deft characterization makes the characters seem like people you know pretty well.
Redemption in Indigo is very different from the other Karen Lord book I’ve read, The Best of All Possible Worlds, but it’s just as warm and well-told.
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handles the situation that they give her a gift of great power. But the djombi that it was taken from, the Indigo Lord wants it back, and badly.I love the narrative style of this book – it takes the folktale inspiration and runs with it, it’s just like a storyteller was sitting in the room with you and telling you a story. We meander back and forth in time and point of view, and the narrator is quite opinionated at times. Paama is a terrific heroine, she’s calm, kind, and intuitively knows that the best thing to do with power is not use it. She’s also pragmatic – when the djombi threatens her family and asks her to give him the stick, she immediately hands it over. Of course, things aren’t that simple, since she actually has to believe that he’s the better person to wield it, and that’s the titular “redemption” of the story.
On the surface this story seems really simple, but there are a lot of layers and side plots – Anansi’s troubles with tricking people (yes, Anansi’s in this book!), Paama’s self-centered sister and her search for an eligible husband, the extremely competent House of Sisters that help Paama out. There’s not a lot of time spent of these, but they’re full of heart and the author’s deft characterization makes the characters seem like people you know pretty well.
Redemption in Indigo is very different from the other Karen Lord book I’ve read, The Best of All Possible Worlds, but it’s just as warm and well-told.
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LibraryThing member Dokfintong
I am sure this is a delightful book if you are in the right mood but this is too much of a fairy tale for me.
LibraryThing member nx74defiant
I liked the narrator on this. This is based on a fable. The story is moved to a modern setting. The way it is updated is very well done. It keeps the feel of a fable.
LibraryThing member Andorion
A very refreshing and thoughtful read. Recommended.
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
I heard this described as "It's a retold fairy-tale from Senegal and the language is gorgeous - poetic but in an elegant and clear way, not a tangle of adjectives and weird metaphors. A bit Ursula Le Guin like. Also quite witty and meta. The plot is a bit of a mess, but I didn't much care." Sounds
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good to me! Show Less
Awards
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Adult Literature — 2011)
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novel — 2011)
IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (Winner — 2011)
The Kitschies (Winner — 2012)
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature (Longlist — Fiction — 2011)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010
Physical description
188 p.; 8.5 inches