Waiting For an Angel

Helon Habila's award winning fiction novel Waiting For an Angel to me was a fairly nice reading. I'm pretty sure a few people would question or complain about the structure of the reading, but I agree with the way Habila has it ordered. By starting everything with a scene of a main character Lomba in prison, it almost gives the reader a sense of catching up with a story that just started. With that as a factor in mind, it gives the story as well as the reader a boost in the plot as far as how the general structure or stories go (you know, the story starts by placing a setting where the main characters are introduced in order to formulate a plot. As those characters interact amongst themselves as well as others i.e. antagonist or extras, they lead into a climax, resolution, and then it's over.)

Yet Habila makes it so you enter just a fraction of the climax, then takes you back and forth throughout the story to explain each event. Just as I previously stated, the story begins with Lomba in prison, then as it continues on it goes back (chronologically based from the characters) which introduces other characters, and even describes the plot openly (basically when they saw the fortuneteller and they were given their fate.) Now all that was left was for these assumptions to fall in place (which they did,) which to me brings forth another twist to the plot in itself, creating more story for the reader. Smart move in my opinion.

All in all, I 'm somewhat enjoying this reading. It's starting to dull up some, but I really can't complain too much considering how I feel about how much work Habila did to create a twisted yet structured storyline which seems difficult in my eyes. I could understand why it might start to seem that way based on the pure energy and climax the novel begins with. He couldn't keep the book that in depth the entire time simply because then I don't think there would be a real storyline besides a bunch of mess happening at one point in time that's exciting. Yet I'm enjoying it so far one way or another.