About
Author: Sia Figiel (Samoa)
Genre: Autobiograpical Fiction
Setting
Place: Samoa
Time: 1970s-1990s
My Rating (see what this means)
My Subjective Rating: 3
My ‘Objective’ Rating: 2.83
Introduction
‘We were once Belonged’ is a novel written in a Samoan storytelling tradition of su’ifefiloi – the closest English approximation of which would probably be picaresque.
A coming-of-age story of a young Samoan girl Alofa, in a conservative island society, this novel becomes an insightful window into the cultural norms of Samoa – with a rich cast of characters beyond the protagonist and entertaining series of connect short stories
Where ‘We’ Once Belonged (contains spoilers)
In the afterword, the author tells us how she came about the title of this novel – and much explanation is not really required. The title comes from the last line of the novel. However, my sense of the title when I picked up the book against what I had towards the end was fundamentally different – and the simple quotes around ‘we’ can sum it up marvellously. These quotes tie much of the story elegantly together to the key theme – the challenge of the individual versus the collective – the ‘I’ vs the ‘we’
This thread is not always visible throughout the novel. Several characters are introduced as individuals first – with their own short stories, until we learn how they are related to the protagonist. In fact, being kind of an episodic piece of literature, the novel at times suffers some of the directionless-ness not uncommon in such works. But the absence of individuality in the closely knitted collectivist Samoan society – is made apparent often. And anyone who dares be individualistic is denounced as ‘mad’.
And what can ‘mad’ people do but commit suicide? The first time Alofa experiences the ‘I’, she is processing the suicide of an aunt and intrusive thoughts also plague her own mind. Does the novel hint here that where ‘we’ once belonged are a way to get out of these intrusive thoughts?
Picture Credits:
- Cover Picture: https://pegasuslodges.com/3-things-you-didnt-know-about-samoan-culture/