Redemption in Indigo is a reworking of a West African folk tale into something that occurs in (it seems) an unspecified recent past in a Senegal-ish place, where supernatural forces live alongside regular people. Paama, a gifted cook, finally leaves her foolish husband and finds herself unwittingly in possession of a kind of power that humans don't normally wield.

The seams between the original folk tale and Karen Lord's own contributions are obvious and fairly lumpy, but that's compensated for by the book's warmth and its charming narrative voice. ( )

This is another book that had been on my to-read list for ages, and I had seen it included on so many lists of recommended books on bookstagram and list challenges. I was literally just walking through the speculative fiction section in the library on my way to check out when this book caught my eye on the shelves and I added it to my stack.

I was so charmed from the very first sentence all the way to the last. Tricksters and immortal spirits and humans collide in a story drawing from a variety of influences, including a Senegalese folk tale, in a way that ends up feeling timeless.

Paama has run away from her husband, who is a fool and a glutton. Paama has an extraordinary gift for cooking, and also an extraordinary talent for being able to put up with a ridiculous level of nonsense while staying within the constraints of what is expected of her as a wife, a daughter, a woman of her community. It is for the latter gift that she attracts the attention of the undying ones, who give her a gift with extraordinary powers -- the Chaos Stick. Unfortunately, this is not the end of her challenges, but rather just the middle.

The prose is a joy and the characters are fascinating. Paama could easily be the kind of character who is so perfect and self-sacrificing that it is hard to identify with or root for her, but the no nonsense ways she does stick u0 for herself make her more interesting. And the side characters, even the most terrible of them, we gain a little empathy for by the end. and many of them grow and meet their match and turn out to be less silly than they at first seemed.

Such a satisfying tale! ( )

This was a lovely story, treading the line between myth and fairytale, and a delight to read. It even has a moral!

The story takes place in an unnamed African country, where a young woman is given the powerful Stick of Chaos used by a Djombi deity to guide the vagaries of chance. The Djobmi has been lying down on the job, so another prods his progress by kicking off a series of events that include trickster spider gods, lovestruck poets, hidden treasure and gluttonous good-for-nothing husbands.

The writing is graceful and enjoyable, and the characters human and relatable. It's concentrated warmth in a story. ( )

I am sure this is a delightful book if you are in the right mood but this is too much of a fairy tale for me. ( )

As an audiobook, Redemption in Indigo worked remarkable well. The book is written as if it is being told orally by a storyteller, so listening to the story unfold was perfect. The narrator was brilliant, with distinct voices and accents for each character and provided an extra layer of enjoyment to the tale.

Redemption in Indigo is really a story in two parts. The first part is more like a traditional folktale, with Ansige's visit to Makendha and his repeated follies due to his gluttonous ways. The second part is the meat of the tale, with Paama receiving the Chaos Stick and the Indigo Lord's attempt to regain his power.

This story was charming, with some wise morals and lessons to be given. I will definitely be reading more by this author. ( )