Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

How hard is Glory to read?

Glory scores 72 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it very challenging. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 70 out of 100

The novel consistently integrates the Ndebele interjection 'tholukuthi,' creating a distinctive linguistic rhythm that requires reader adaptation. Specialized animal-as-human terms like 'mals,' 'femals,' and 'itchtail' further enrich the vocabulary, alongside sophisticated descriptive language. This usage pushes complexity beyond standard literary fiction, though not to the extreme of invented languages like 'Finnegans Wake.'

Sentence structure: 68 out of 100

Sentences are frequently long and multi-clausal, employing extensive subordination and parallelism to build detailed descriptions and arguments. While grammatically sound, the accumulation of detail and the rhythmic insertions of 'tholukuthi' demand sustained reader attention, placing it above works with direct, declarative sentences like '1984.'

Abstraction: 75 out of 100

The entire narrative functions as a political allegory, with animal characters representing human political figures and societal roles, requiring constant interpretive engagement. The text delves into abstract themes of power, legacy, and post-colonial critique through its satirical events and speeches, particularly in sections like 'Mulling a Legacy,' making it more abstract than '2666' but less purely philosophical than 'Waiting for Godot.'

Information density: 76 out of 100

Each allegorical character and event carries significant symbolic weight, packing multiple layers of political and social commentary into the narrative. The text demands high attention to decode the author's critique, especially through rapid-fire enumerations of grievances (Chapter 16) and diverse societal perspectives (Chapter 18).

Narrative indirection: 68 out of 100

The novel employs an animal allegory, requiring readers to consistently infer human political parallels from the characters and events. While the satirical intent is often clear, the sustained allegorical framework demands active interpretation to translate the animal kingdom's actions into a critique of post-colonial authoritarianism, similar to the inferential demands of reading against an unreliable narrator in books like Lolita or The Great Gatsby.

Symbolic density: 80 out of 100

The entire narrative functions as a political allegory, with every animal character, their species, and their actions carrying symbolic weight beyond their literal meaning. Elements like the 'Father of the Nation,' 'Dr. Sweet Mother,' the 'Defenders,' and the 'land of milk and honey' are potent symbols, making the text rich with meaning that extends far beyond the surface events, akin to the pervasive symbolism in Moby-Dick.

Ironic distance: 85 out of 100

The narrative maintains a significant ironic distance through its satirical portrayal of the ruling regime, presenting official propaganda and exaggerated praise for the 'Father of the Nation' with a clear underlying critique. The gap between the glorified rhetoric and the implied reality of corruption, fear, and poverty is consistently highlighted, requiring readers to discern the author's critical stance, much like the sustained satire found in The Sellout.

Resolution withholding: 70 out of 100

The excerpt concludes with significant political tension and unresolved power struggles among the elite, particularly between the Vice President and the First Lady, leaving the future stability of the regime ambiguous. While individual events like the protest are brutally suppressed, the broader societal issues and the internal conflicts within the ruling class remain open-ended, suggesting a lack of definitive closure on the nation's trajectory.

Structural complexity: 60 out of 100

The narrative generally follows a linear progression of events during Independence Day, but it incorporates stylistic repetitions like 'tholukuthi' and a notable structural shift in Chapter 18, which presents multiple, unattributed voices 'mulling a legacy.' These elements, while not as radical as those in Ulysses, introduce a moderate level of formal experimentation and varied perspectives beyond a straightforward chronological account.

How Glory is regarded

Glory holds a literary regard score of 47 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

About the author

NoViolet Bulawayo