We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(8) Snow Line
Arrow of God plops readers right down into the middle of rural Igbo life in the 1930s without any reference point. Even more than Things Fall Apart, Achebe's third novel immerses the readers into Igbo daily life, customs, and thought patterns. Achebe constantly uses idioms common among the Igbo to explain characters' actions and plot. Often, there is an entire string of idioms, one right after another. This, combined with the many similar Igbo names, can become confusing. Don't let it get you bogged down, though. Even if you don't understand the idioms, you can get the gist of what speakers intend to convey by continuing to read and observing the narrative clues.