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half_book_and_co's review against another edition
4.0
4,5
"She wills a memory an act of defiance- something whole and true that the comrades cannot take, touch."
It's the year 2000 in Harare. Gabrielle is a lawyer who works on the case of a young girl who accuses an older - and politically quite powerful - man. At the same time, Gabrielle meets Ben, a young US-American working as the assistant to the assistant of the culture attachée of the US embassy and the two start falling for each other. But then something truly horrific happens and all of their lives fall apart.
Through jumps in the timeline, Irene Sabatini throws the reader first in the middle of the abyss while parallelly she slowly unravels what had happened to lead to it - and she then goes on to sound the repercussions of violence and a suppressive political order like Mugabe's regime. This novel is partly a political thriller, part love story, with a dash of courtroom drama; always highly entertaining and through its dialogue-heavy style immensely readable. There are so many things going on in my life right now and I can hardly ever concentrate, but An Act of Defiance grabbed my attention and only let go when I turned the last page.
Sabatini created a memorable, complex character with Gabrielle who has to navigate her life between being defiant, her wish to be free, her anxieties and fears and the desire to create some change. I found myself rooting for her - even when she made some questionable decisions.
"She wills a memory an act of defiance- something whole and true that the comrades cannot take, touch."
It's the year 2000 in Harare. Gabrielle is a lawyer who works on the case of a young girl who accuses an older - and politically quite powerful - man. At the same time, Gabrielle meets Ben, a young US-American working as the assistant to the assistant of the culture attachée of the US embassy and the two start falling for each other. But then something truly horrific happens and all of their lives fall apart.
Through jumps in the timeline, Irene Sabatini throws the reader first in the middle of the abyss while parallelly she slowly unravels what had happened to lead to it - and she then goes on to sound the repercussions of violence and a suppressive political order like Mugabe's regime. This novel is partly a political thriller, part love story, with a dash of courtroom drama; always highly entertaining and through its dialogue-heavy style immensely readable. There are so many things going on in my life right now and I can hardly ever concentrate, but An Act of Defiance grabbed my attention and only let go when I turned the last page.
Sabatini created a memorable, complex character with Gabrielle who has to navigate her life between being defiant, her wish to be free, her anxieties and fears and the desire to create some change. I found myself rooting for her - even when she made some questionable decisions.
mollie_isabel's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
shonatiger's review against another edition
3.0
[Review on my blog]
In summary: if you’re a fussy reader, as I am, you’ll hate the first bits; but, press on, as this is a wonderful book. The difficult parts, the parts that explain the trauma of Zimbabwe, are somewhat ruined by unnecessary exaggeration (was there ever a “camp” at Sam Levy? A ridiculous stretch), and I wonder if that isn’t the usual problem when someone who doesn’t live in Zimbabwe tries to piece together a story from what they read in newspapers. The reality is much more grim and far less funny than the exaggerations in this book. But the rest of the book, exploring Gabrielle’s emotional journey, is stellar.
In summary: if you’re a fussy reader, as I am, you’ll hate the first bits; but, press on, as this is a wonderful book. The difficult parts, the parts that explain the trauma of Zimbabwe, are somewhat ruined by unnecessary exaggeration (was there ever a “camp” at Sam Levy? A ridiculous stretch), and I wonder if that isn’t the usual problem when someone who doesn’t live in Zimbabwe tries to piece together a story from what they read in newspapers. The reality is much more grim and far less funny than the exaggerations in this book. But the rest of the book, exploring Gabrielle’s emotional journey, is stellar.
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review against another edition
5.0
My heart was in my mouth for the first half of the book, and while this eased up somewhat midway, I found this both an incredibly compelling and anxiety-inducing read. Using short chapters and jumps in time, this is a fast paced read that I couldn’t put down for extended periods, and Gabrielle particularly is a character that was completely brought to life with Sabatini’s words.
AN ACT OF DEFIANCE covers incredibly traumatic content - no spoilers, but it’s set in Zimbabwe in 2000 so the politics and violence of this time will be some indicator - and we follow a newly qualified lawyer, Gabrielle, representing a young girl seeking justice. In parallel timelines in those early chapters of the book, we see Gabrielle as she falls in love with Ben, a charming junior diplomat with the American embassy. Juxtaposed against that, immediately, is an “attack” that splinters the trajectory of their relationship. I’ll say no more to avoid spoilers, but what I think worked for me most was the way it explored the theme of love amidst this tumultuous setting, and particularly towards the end, the reflections on what place can mean in both memory and in forming identity.
This was superbly written and I am keen to now read Sabatini’s backlist. Many thanks to The Indigo Press for a review copy.
AN ACT OF DEFIANCE covers incredibly traumatic content - no spoilers, but it’s set in Zimbabwe in 2000 so the politics and violence of this time will be some indicator - and we follow a newly qualified lawyer, Gabrielle, representing a young girl seeking justice. In parallel timelines in those early chapters of the book, we see Gabrielle as she falls in love with Ben, a charming junior diplomat with the American embassy. Juxtaposed against that, immediately, is an “attack” that splinters the trajectory of their relationship. I’ll say no more to avoid spoilers, but what I think worked for me most was the way it explored the theme of love amidst this tumultuous setting, and particularly towards the end, the reflections on what place can mean in both memory and in forming identity.
This was superbly written and I am keen to now read Sabatini’s backlist. Many thanks to The Indigo Press for a review copy.
pheebzoc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, and Self harm
Moderate: Rape
itmustbemiriam's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I found this book for a Read The World challenge to cover a Zimbabwe prompt and I am so glad I did. I definitely never would have picked it up otherwise. It has heavy themes and lots of triggers, but its ultimately a story of resilience and in loving yourself enough to do right by yourself.
dinojah's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
allthebooksandplants's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.25
abbie_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Free review copy received from the publisher!
Another gem from @theindigopress, this one by Zimbabwean author Irene Sabatini. An Act of Defiance starts in Harare in 2000, as Robert Mugabe’s youth forces are terrorising political opponents and citizens alike. We follow Gabrielle Langa, a fresh-faced lawyer who at the time is embroiled in a rape trial, attempting to bring justice to a 15-year-old girl who has been abused by a prominent political figure. Things begin to unravel when she meets an American diplomat and a brutal incident sets Gabrielle’s life on a completely different course.
Another gem from @theindigopress, this one by Zimbabwean author Irene Sabatini. An Act of Defiance starts in Harare in 2000, as Robert Mugabe’s youth forces are terrorising political opponents and citizens alike. We follow Gabrielle Langa, a fresh-faced lawyer who at the time is embroiled in a rape trial, attempting to bring justice to a 15-year-old girl who has been abused by a prominent political figure. Things begin to unravel when she meets an American diplomat and a brutal incident sets Gabrielle’s life on a completely different course.
This novel feels larger in scope than its 330 pages might suggest. So much unfolds within these pages, Gabrielle endures so much. Sabatini’s use of short chapters to alternate between past and present timelines are very effective at showing the full story, as well as Gabrielle’s mental state and trauma - she can never truly leave the past behind.
While the political turmoil which takes centre stage in the first half makes for compelling and urgent reading, it was the second half, and Gabrielle’s experience of motherhood, which really gripped me. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I think it’s an aspect of motherhood that we rarely see in fiction, and Sabatini does a brilliant job of portraying this particular relationship.
Some reviews mention a dislike for Gabrielle and her decisions, but I don’t think anyone really knows how they would react under Gabrielle’s circumstances, and how trauma affects the decisions we would make (or wouldn’t). I found her character well fleshed out and sympathetically drawn.
Recommended for those who like a mix of the personal and the political (but beware the CWs).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
_askthebookbug's review against another edition
4.0
An Act Of Defiance.
~
Thank you for the copy @theindigopress
~
It's tough to build a book that revolves around political parties and events but Irene does it quite masterfully. This book in some ways, reminded me a lot of Half of the yellow sun by Chimamanda. The writing is strikingly similar to that of the iconic author and considering how the story takes place during the political upheaval, they bare a strong resemblance. This novel is my first time reading about Zimbabwe and I was both fascinated and appalled by the happenings in the country.
~
This story is about thousands of people who were displaced during the time of Robert Mugabe's rule in the 2000s. His youth party raped, killed and lynched countless people who chose democracy. Mugabe ruled for four decades and single-handedly held power for all those years. He was considered one of the most controversial politician of all times. Gabrielle is a young lawyer who lives in Harare in 2000. As she finds herself fighting for justice of a young girl who was raped by an older powerful man, she witnesses the unlawful side of the court. At the same moment she meets Ben, a junior diplomat working for American embassy. Their chemistry is undeniable and through one of the many dates, they fall in love.
~
When Ben is attacked and Gabrielle is taken away during one of their dates by the youth party, they lose touch for many years to come. Gabrielle is raped and is held captive for many days which changes her very personality. After she's rescued by her ex-boyfriend Giorgio, she's taken under his care and soon finds herself pregnant. Throughout her recovery, she feels disconnected to her surroundings and craves for Ben. Years later, when they reunite, they realise that their feelings haven't changed at all. What follows next is her journey of finding herself and struggling to keep up with the people around her. The political distortion that took place during those years have been narrated in detail. It's horrifying to say the least.
~
To be honest, I never liked Gabrielle's character. Her profound confusion about her feelings and inability to take a decision made me irritable. It was the male characters that I truly admired. Their resilience and ability to look after Gabrielle was truly touching to see. The ending was quite satisfactory and that was all that I could have asked for. Though parts of this book might be fiction, the information about Zimbabwe is an eye opener. I recommend it.
~
Rating - 3.8/5.
~
Thank you for the copy @theindigopress
~
It's tough to build a book that revolves around political parties and events but Irene does it quite masterfully. This book in some ways, reminded me a lot of Half of the yellow sun by Chimamanda. The writing is strikingly similar to that of the iconic author and considering how the story takes place during the political upheaval, they bare a strong resemblance. This novel is my first time reading about Zimbabwe and I was both fascinated and appalled by the happenings in the country.
~
This story is about thousands of people who were displaced during the time of Robert Mugabe's rule in the 2000s. His youth party raped, killed and lynched countless people who chose democracy. Mugabe ruled for four decades and single-handedly held power for all those years. He was considered one of the most controversial politician of all times. Gabrielle is a young lawyer who lives in Harare in 2000. As she finds herself fighting for justice of a young girl who was raped by an older powerful man, she witnesses the unlawful side of the court. At the same moment she meets Ben, a junior diplomat working for American embassy. Their chemistry is undeniable and through one of the many dates, they fall in love.
~
When Ben is attacked and Gabrielle is taken away during one of their dates by the youth party, they lose touch for many years to come. Gabrielle is raped and is held captive for many days which changes her very personality. After she's rescued by her ex-boyfriend Giorgio, she's taken under his care and soon finds herself pregnant. Throughout her recovery, she feels disconnected to her surroundings and craves for Ben. Years later, when they reunite, they realise that their feelings haven't changed at all. What follows next is her journey of finding herself and struggling to keep up with the people around her. The political distortion that took place during those years have been narrated in detail. It's horrifying to say the least.
~
To be honest, I never liked Gabrielle's character. Her profound confusion about her feelings and inability to take a decision made me irritable. It was the male characters that I truly admired. Their resilience and ability to look after Gabrielle was truly touching to see. The ending was quite satisfactory and that was all that I could have asked for. Though parts of this book might be fiction, the information about Zimbabwe is an eye opener. I recommend it.
~
Rating - 3.8/5.