Yaa Gyasi joins MashReads with her novel 'Homegoing,' a tour de force tale of family and history

Even when we move away, we never truly depart from our family, and our families never truly leave us.

Or at least that's the premise behind Yaa Gyasi's novel Homegoing.

The novel opens with two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, born in 18th century Ghana, each not knowing about the other's existence. Though related, Effia and Esi quickly split into very different paths: One is sold into slavery, while the other marries a British slaver.

It's from this starting point that Homegoing unfolds, tracing Effia and Esi's family tree, and the impact that slavery had on it, through a series of vignettes of critical moments in each of Effia and Esi's descendants' lives.

Spanning continents and generations, Homegoing is a tour de force — a brief yet mighty tale of family, heritage, and history, told with heart and wisdom, about how even when our paths diverge, there is a common pulse that beats through all of us.

This month, Homegoing is our MashReads book club pick of the month. We hope you'll join us as we read and discuss this spectacular novel.

You can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter. And don't forget to use the hashtag #MashReads to let us know what you think of the book. We'll also be discussing the book with Yaa Gyasi in an IRL book club on Tuesday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m. EDT at Mashable HQ in New York City. You can RSVP here and join us for a night of friends, food, and books as we chat about Homegoing.

Happy reading!