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    The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories
    Unavailable
    The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories
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    The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories
    Ebook218 pages3 hours

    The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories

    By Susi Wyss

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A glorious literary debut set in Africa about five unforgettable women—two of them haunted by a shared tragedy—whose lives intersect in unexpected and sometimes explosive ways

    When Adjoa leaves Ghana to find work in the Ivory Coast, she hopes that one day she'll return home to open a beauty parlor. Her dream comes true, though not before she suffers a devastating loss—one that will haunt her for years, and one that also deeply affects Janice, an American aid worker who no longer feels she has a place to call home. But the bustling Precious Brother Salon is not just the "cleanest, friendliest, and most welcoming in the city." It's also where locals catch up on their gossip; where Comfort, an imperious busybody, can complain about her American daughter-in-law, Linda; and where Adjoa can get a fresh start on life—or so she thinks, until Janice moves to Ghana and unexpectedly stumbles upon the salon.

    At once deeply moving and utterly charming, The Civilized World follows five women as they face meddling mothers-in-law, unfaithful partners, and the lingering aftereffects of racism, only to learn that their cultural differences are outweighed by their common bond as women. With vibrant prose, Susi Wyss explores what it means to need forgiveness—and what it means to forgive.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateMar 29, 2011
    ISBN9781429971973
    Unavailable
    The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories
    Author

    Susi Wyss

    Susi Wyss's fiction is influenced by her twenty-year career managing women's health programs in Africa, where she lived for more than eight years. She holds a B.A. from Vassar, an M.P.H. from Boston University, and an M.A. in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of the novel The Civilized World. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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    Reviews for The Civilized World

    3.5/5

    47 ratings17 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I actually received The Civilized World from the publisher months ago and shame on me for taking so long to read and review it. This novel is quiet and beautiful and it drew me into it's pages straight away. I finished reading it in a single day. It will make it to my top reads of 2012 and I'm happy to have found a favorite so early on in the year.I enjoy stories set in Africa and this novel swept me away for a little while. It is written in the form of intertwining stories surrounding five different women. I liked that I didn't know where the stories were going and I felt as if the stories were slowly revealing themselves to me. As I read, I got to see how these women's lives were somehow interwoven. Each of these women seemed real to me and each story felt real. This book just flows, the narrative style is engaging. Where one story will wind off, another will pick up and yet another, until a previous one will start again where it left off. None of it was jarring however, it all reads smoothly. For the most part, the stories revolve around motherhood and family, strife, heartache and forgiveness. The stories take place in modern day Africa as well as in America. An infertile American couple who want to adopt an African baby, a grandmother from Ghana whose son married an American woman and left for the States to raise his family, an African woman whose twin and soul mate was killed too young; these are just some of the people inside these stories. I highly recommend The Civilized World to fans of quiet women's fiction. This is a book will slowly draw you into it's pages and that you will savor as you read. It's not a long book, but at 226 pages, I wish it was longer. The author makes you care about these characters.On a final note, I love this book cover. It's simple yet beautiful, just like the book itself."What did it feel like to have such a strong sense of home, a bond to a place as strong as an umbilical cord?"p. 63, The Civilized World
    • 3/5
      I don't read nearly enough fiction from outside the U.S. There's a shift I notice, not just in the rhythms of storytelling, but in the way language plays out.
      The fact that I noticed it to such a degree says I need to read more multicultural literature.
      Also- ensemble interwoven stories are frustrating, even if they're attentively brought together at intervals. It's frustrating- you're with one character and then- whoomp, chapter's over, and here's someone else. There were loose ends.
    • 5/5
      I was drawn to this book by the African setting and once I started I couldn’t put it down. I loved how the multiple viewpoints allowed me to see each of the five recurring characters not just in terms of how she saw herself but how others viewed her. An overriding narrative arc follows two of the characters as they deal with the fallout of a crime, and that arc comes full circle, bringing the book to a satisfying conclusion. Each story can stand on its own, but the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
    • 4/5
      This book is a collection of stories intertwined together by people and places. Adjoa is a young Ghana woman, trying to make a better life for herself and her family. Janice is a single American woman who has been working in Africa most of her adult life. Comfort is a widowed Ghanian woman with a son and new grandbaby in Washington D.C., and daughter-in-law Linda has her own issues. Ophelia is a young childless wife hoping and trying for a baby.I loved this book. The characters and their different stages in their lives held my interest. This story followed the characters at different points in their lives over an 8-10 year period. Some of the characters were more likable than others, and I found that I liked different characters at different times, and was less fond of them at other times of their lives.Much of this book really revolves around motherhood: desiring it, striving for it, achieving it or not. There is pain, the disillusionment that often comes with age, as you discover that life is not all milk and honey after all. There is friendship and love, and there is forgiveness.A beautiful, stirring melange of stories, I would strongly recommend this one to everyone.
    • 3/5
      The Civilized World consists of nine interlinking stories, set in Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and the United States; and for the most part, the common thread throughout is Adjoa who sets up a beauty parlor, and the women she knows before and after she goes into business. While Adjoa is not in every story, she is the key character of the entire book.. There are male characters also. Most notably they are Adjoa’s twin brother and also Adjoa’s suitor Kwame; but the focus of these stories are on the women. Some of these stories have been previously published, and others were then written later — so a couple of the stories to me did not feel like they really “intertwined”. Still, I enjoyed this novel-in-stories. Susi Wyss, who worked for several years managing health programs in Africa, says in the “etcetra” section in the back of the book:“When I began to write fiction as a way to explore my impressions of Africa, I consciously tried to represent the Africa I know and love, not the sensationalistic one people hear about in the media. I pictured characters who were like people I’d known, often struggling, sometimes succeeding — both supported and held back by their rich traditions.”The Civilized World is Susi Wyss’ first book. Her writing here shows a lot of promise, so if Wyss is published again, I definitely would want to read her future work(s).
    • 4/5
      This collection of loosely-linked short stories explores a variety of African cultures and countries. Wyss’s characters are believable and complicated, just like in real life. Women take center stage here. The subtitle “A novel in stories” suggests more cohesion than this collection really delivers, but the individual stories are worthwhile anyway.
    • 4/5
      Shifting from the Ivory Coast to Ethiopia to Ghana to America, this novel presents the lives of five very different women. At the heart are Adjoa, who hopes to open the cleanest, friendliest beauty parlor in Ghanna, and Janice, an American aid worker. Both women, though they may not realize it, are bound by singular event of violence and tragedy. Other women include Comfort, a strong, no nonsense African matriarc, who must make what peace she can with her American daughter-in-law Linda, and another woman (whose name I can't remember), who feels lost and unsteady following her husband embassy post to embassy post throughout Africa. These stories present Africa without the sensationalism, offering stories of daily living. Even the writing itself is understated, attempting to simply describe what is, rather than over-dramatize, and allowing the reader to fill in the empty spaces. These women feel very real, and I can imagine them now, living their lives in Africa.
    • 4/5
      In these linked stories, set in various African countries, Wyss introduces several women who come together in different ways. There's Adjoa, who aspires to open a beauty salon in Ghana with her twin brother, Kojo; Ophelia, a tagalong wife struggling with infertility; Comfort, whose Ghanian son has married a disrespectful American woman; and Janice, a single middle-aged American aid worker traumatized by violence. Although the subject matter is sometimes serious, Wyss has a light touch that makes these stories easy to digest. After reading, I can't really say what distinguishes the settings in these stories, but maybe that's the point. Wyss is more concerned with individuals and their personal struggles than the politics of Africa. I think this would appeal to readers who enjoyed BAKING CAKES IN KIGALI and the writing of Alexander McCall Smith.
    • 5/5
      If you are comfortable with uncertainty, you can be comfortable with--and thoroughly enjoy--Wyss's storytelling. Plots/subplots, characters, scenes are very clearly and vividly presented, and yet you almost have the sense that the stories are happening in real-time/real-life and that nothing is guaranteed or all worked out, further along in the pages, simply waiting for you to discover it. To me, that is exciting. You are as much on your own as are the characters in trying to navigate their own paths through complex personal and social situations. But Wyss makes sure we have time to do a little sight-seeing along the way--treating us to many beautiful and provocative views of the unfamiliar (to many of us) African countries where most of the novel takes place. Looking back on the book, I am always struck by how visual my recollections are, as happens with a good movie whose most powerful images and moments file themselves away among those from your very own life, as though you went through them yourself. I can understand the previous reviewer's comment about passion, but each of the main characters in Wyss's book is whole-heartedly pursuing her desires. However, she is doing so--whether through wisdom/experience, self-discipline, wariness, whatever--with a healthy respect for things that are beyond her control or understanding. And there are many. This is a truly unique and worthy read.
    • 3/5
      Well, as they say on the Internet- meh. I didn't really like this book that well, but once again, I can't put my finger on why. It started out all right, and I was interested in what life might be like for Ghanians living in Cote D'IVoire, but it went downhill quickly, so I had to give it three stars.
    • 3/5
      it starts like a collection short stories, but then the stories are woven together. However, I always had a the feeling it was written by a white person. Depth was missing and more info ont he surroundings and why peolpe ended up in the situations. An ok read while on the plane.
    • 5/5
      This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.This lovely novel is essentially a series of interconnected short stories with American and African female protagonists. Each story seemed strong enough to stand alone, but gained depth both by their connection to one another and in each story's further development in subsequent tales. I found the characters to be engaging and believable. The references to various African cultural traditions/languages/beliefs was sufficient to ground, enrich and authenticate the work without ever becoming awkward, preachy or lecture-like. The points of view provided the various characters gave a refreshingly balanced perspective on most of the topics at hand. I never once felt that the author had an agenda...she simply had tales to tell.I was most impressed by the ending. Many a fine book was spoiled for me by an unsatisfying or overly contrived ending. This one did not disappoint.I would surely read works by this author in the future.
    • 4/5
      Comprised of nine stories told from the perspective of five female characters, “The Civilized World” is a tapestry of interwoven lives that fascinates from beginning to end. The characters include Janice, an American working in Africa for a health organization, Adjoa, a Ghanian who goes to work in the Ivory Coast to raise money to open a beauty salon back home, Ophelia, an expatriate who is adjusting to living on another continent, Comfort, a new widow, and Linda, Comfort’s American daughter-in-law. Because there are several characters and settings, the novel provides a snapshot of everyday life in Africa, both from the perspective of an insider and that of an outsider. Despite the breadth of characters, however, there is no shortage of depth, and the reader gets to know each character well. As the novel progresses the threads are pulled more tightly together until we see how interconnected these women really are. A fascinating exploration of culture, a thoughtful meditation on what it really means to be civilized, and a touching portrait of the bonds between women, make this a thought-provoking and highly enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      I found the book pleasant enough reading but not terribly enjoyable. The author stayed in the characters' heads and had them explain themselves via their thoughts continuously. This became tedious and way too overused. The characters told us their motivations, thoughts etc. rather than having the author show them to the reader. I found the stories predictable, missing dramatic tension, and lacking in subtlety.
    • 2/5
      This book is a "novel in stories" predominantly about women living in or from Africa. The format of the book is interesting and I liked the idea of a collection of short stories in which the characters reappear, the focus shifting from one character to another. Unfortunately, I think this format also held the book back. I never felt like any of the characters were really developed as fully as they could have been because the focus kept shifting. And because the characters were referenced again in other stories, you missed the magic of a short story - capturing a moment and Ieaving the rest to the imagination. I was also hoping for more insight into the African continent considering that the author has lived there for decades, but instead I felt that these stories could have been set anywhere. The book was fine, but seemed to be missing something.
    • 1/5
      This book was a real disappointment, it could and should have been so much more. The characters are shallow, the situations rather stereotypical, and the reader learns little or nothing about the complex interactions between the "do gooders" from the outside and those they purport to "help". Having studied, read about, and travelled extensively throughout Africa over the past 30 years, I expected so much more from someone who had lived and worked on the continent for two decades. There are a host of other books (fiction, nonfiction) that offer readers greater insights into this beautiful and complex part of the world -- Several recent books/authors come immediately to mind: The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone), Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria), A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali by Gil Courtemanche (Rwanda), A Thousand Sisters by Lisa Shannon (DRC), There Is No You Without Me by Melissa Fay Greene (Ethiopia), various books by Damon Galgut (South Africa), Half the Sky (Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn), Six Months in the Sudan by James Maskalyk, Where Soldiers Fear to Tread by John Burnett, Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartrey, books by Unity Dow (Botswana), Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin....and the list goes on and on. There are so many marvelous books out there...pass on this one.
    • 1/5
      If you like fiction about Africa, about relationships between women, then chances are you've read a much better version of this book before. These characters are wooden. They don't have conversations so much as mouth exposition back and forth at each other. The descriptive passages almost feel like they should be written in quotation marks; every phrase feels like it's been used endlessly before. A rare moment of originality comes when Comfort, an African woman visiting the U.S., remarks on the drought-stricken trees. There hasn't been a drought, though, it's just winter time. Her American daughter-in-law who is in her late twenties, patronizingly says, "I've never thought of it, but they do look sort of dead, don't they? It'll be so fascinating, Comfort, to have your perspective on our lives." (35). Really? An American who has lived most of three decades has never heard winter trees described as dead? The only originality here is in its utter unbelievability. There's no spark in this book, in the writing, in the characters, in the overarching stories. If you're interested in fiction on relationships between Africans and Americans or Europeans, check out Peter Orner's "The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo" or Ama Ata Aidoo's "Our Sister Killjoy" and give this one a miss.