A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars by Yaba Badoe
When I searched this book on Goodreads so that I could add it to my ‘currently reading’ shelf, I noticed that this book had a very low average rating and I just felt so disheartened. But, I started the book and read it til the very ending. The average ratings on Goodreads didn’t miss the mark too much.
Fourteen-year-old Sante isn’t sure where she comes from, but she has a recurring dream of escaping a shipwreck in a sea chest as a baby with her lifelong companion, golden eagle Priss. In the chest was an African bamboo flute, a drum and a dagger inlaid with diamonds. Sante was found and raised by Mama Rose, leader of a nomadic group of misfits and gypsies. They travel around contemporary southern Europe, living off-grid and performing circus tricks for money. Sante grows up alongside two twins, knife-thrower Cat and snake-charmer Cobra, whom she is in love with. During a performance in Cadiz, Sante recognises two men from her dream. They come after her to retrieve the treasures from the sea chest. Sante finds out that she is an Ashanti princess, whose parents probably perished in the shipwreck. After Cat rescues a beautiful red-haired girl called Scarlett from a gang, Mama Rose’s band are forced to flee the city. But Sante and Cobra stay behind, determined to find out more about her family and where she came from.
Sante grows up alongside two twins, knife-thrower Cat and snake-charmer Cobra, whom she is in love with. During a performance in Cadiz, Sante recognises two men from her dream. They come after her to retrieve the treasures from the sea chest. Sante finds out that she is an Ashanti princess, whose parents probably perished in the shipwreck. After Cat rescues a beautiful red-haired girl called Scarlett from a gang, Mama Rose’s band are forced to flee the city. But Sante and Cobra stay behind, determined to find out more about her family and where she came from.
The sole reason why I requested this book on NetGalley, what that I wanted to read a book that wasn’t set in the U.S, or had an all-white cast of characters. I wanted to read about different cultures so A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars seemed like the perfect read for me.
It’s safe to say that this book completely let me down. I couldn’t connect with the characters, I couldn’t understand what was going on half of the time, and there just didn’t seem to be any explaining when things were going on. There was also a problematic scene for me where Mama Rose (the character who looks after our protagonist, Sante) dresses up in a kimono and pretends to be a geisha. She even puts white powder on her face and says to Sante that she dresses up like this when she “needs to reflect and think on the things that are happening”. So the cultural appropriation in that instance was completely wrong.
BUT, it’s not all negative. Those 2.5 stars have to come from somewhere, right? Well, let’s just take a moment to appreciate how beautiful the cover is! It’s another reason why I wanted to read this book; the cover just immediately grabbed my attention. I also think that the author doesn’t have a bad idea here as far as the story is concerned. Badoe – throughout this book – explores the themes of refugees, human trafficking and politics. But the whole problem with this book is that it’s in the genre of magical realism… It just doesn’t work alongside the themes of the book. I think if Badoe had gotten rid of the magical element of this book, it would have been so much better, and the dark themes of the book would be more prominent and would have had more impact.
Overall, this book wasn’t that good. I loved the exploration that Sante has into her identity and how her dreams connect to that and I loved how Badoe touches on the surface of what it’s like to be a refugee. However, the world building just didn’t make sense and sometimes the writing style just didn’t work for me. I’m disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it, but I’m glad that I’ve read it.
Warning: contains triggers for sexual abuse and violence.
Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review