comment on language / style

The language the author uses in crafting the God of Mercy narrative is layered, lyric, and complex. Over the course of the novel, the author’s linguistic stylings evolve according to which character's psyche she is inhabiting. At the same time, the author’s frequent syntactic distortions or marked lyricism are defined by the characters’ Igbo language, and its innate musicality. The author addresses these notions in Part II: Chapter 8, when Ijeoma first arrives in Amalike and hears the English language. The narrator says: “She did not know the sounds of English, and the language appeared aggressive to her—as if it were meant to provoke a war—there is no music in it, she thought, no rhythm to which one could dance—and her eyes began fluttering as she stood by John, knowing only to nod her head when the pastor had finished speaking, hoping that he would finish his speaking soon” (171). Ijeoma is repelled and unnerved by English because of its sterility and harshness. She misses the sounds and resonances of her native language, all of which are captured and conveyed by way of the overarching narration.