Tail of the Blue Bird: Ending Reflection

The last fifteen to twenty pages of the novel are so surprising. My initial reaction to the ending was that it was a great way to wrap up the story, however that being said it still leaves a lot of details about the case missing/unsolved so the reader never really gets a full sense of closure. The case aside, I found it very dramatic though not fully plausible that Kayo would so willingly accept death rather than work for a corrupt police chief:

Kayo held the inspector's piercing gaze, knowing that, contrary to the training he had received, he was acting on instinct over logic. 'You might as well shoot me then.' He turned and walked towards the dark mass of the forest beyond the clearing. The last thing he saw as he turned was Inspector Donkor raising his pistol to take aim. (168)

 Not only would he being doing the thing he loves (forensic science) but he would also be making great money. As mentioned in the novel, for him to make a decision like this he would have to do so by weighing his instinct much more heavily than his logic (which is unlike Kayo). This brings me to my next point though. In light of Kayo "acting on instinct over logic" (168) this shows that he has undergone an immense change since the beginning of the novel. As someone who initially made cold, calculated decisions- or at least took that approach towards many things in his life- for him to choose instinct over logic means that he has truly changed the kind of character he is for good. Whether this transformation is for good or bad is a matter of opinion, the point is somehow within this past of week of trying to solve this case he has changed for good. A very satisfying thing about the ending is how we see Kayo defy authority. Earlier in the novel, when he was being pulled over and forcibly made to cooperate with the police force he chose not to fully challenge his arrest. Here, at the end of the novel before he is about to be shot he challenges Inspector Donkor's authority and ultimately shows that he has not fallen victim to the power structure of the law.

Overall a great finish, though it still leaves bits of the case unanswered.

Tail of the Blue Bird: Breaking the Norm

I'm starting to really like Kayo as a character in the novel. I suppose the only way to explain it is that he's a very different type of character from the rest of the books we have read. He embodies a much more contemporary African man. I also like how he is a character that many people can relate to especially in terms of his dull, dreary working life. That being said the author throws in little quotes and details that the reader find interesting:

...he slipped Stevie Wonder's Innervisions CD into his computer and began to tidy his desk. He clicked his fingers to 'Too High'.

These small details to me at least make the story all the more interesting, they help develop the character even further and just give him an interesting personality. Unlike other novels we read such as "Things Fall Apart"the character here is not a hardened warrior and a tribal figure but rather he is a modern working man with a dull work life. It seems as if the author Nii Ayikwei Parkes is trying to break the norm with traditional African stories and wants to make a new leap in African literature. Another interesting subject I observed while reading was the corruption of the law. Nii Ayikwei Parkes does not seem to be the most fond person of the police as he goes out of his way to make the majority of them look corrupt and abusive with power especially Sergeant Ofosu as shown with his encounter with Kayo:

'Sergeant, you still haven't told me why I've been stopped.' Sergeant Ofosu rapped hard on Kayo's door. 'My friend, do you want me to break your legs or something? I said get out.'

In terms of what we have read so far the novel seems to be taking an interesting direction. I'm looking forward to reading further.

Nervous Conditions Ending

The last chapter of Nervous Condition was by far the most intense, that crammed as much stuff as possible within the last few pages of the novel. Nyasha's bulimia/anorexia as a result of her fathers attitude towards her (her father not understanding her and forcing her to eat) came as a huge surprise to me but then again was also hinted at prior to this. It was hinted when she was smoking cigarettes before and that showed how these eating disorders are much more of a Western concept in the sense that many people suffer from these to try and improve their image or because they have emotional problems. Tambu leaving and going to study at the other school was interesting as well. I was surprised that Babamukuru actually beat Tambu for her not going to the wedding because he is not her father and I am also surprised that he did not send her home like he said he would. In addition to Tambu's mom getting married I also found Maiguru leaving very interesting. Her brief time of leave only to come back very quickly shows that she cannot be self sufficient or that she loves Babamukuru too much, but I thought she would never go through with it even it was for such a short period of time. There is not much else to say other then so much happened in these last few chapters of the book and in such a short amount of time it really felt like there was a sense of urgency and tension within the last few pages. Finishing the books makes me wonder what the title of the book really means, what does "Nervous Conditions" mean. Is it referring to the nervous vibes and tense atmosphere given off from the last few pages of the book. Could it be something that happened earlier in the novel, or could the title be addressing a concept as a whole? It is something that I do not fully understand and can only speculate.