Where We Once Belonged (review)

Hailed as the first novel by a Samoan woman to be published in the United States, Where We Once Belonged is both a coming-of-age story that focuses on a young girl named Alofa Filiga and a narrative that explores the legacy of colonialism in Samoa. The novel's structure employs the traditional Samoan storytelling form of su'ifefiloi (linked vignettes), and Figiel takes advantage of its flexibility by mixing prose with poetry, fiction with mythology. Samoan words and phrases blend with English slang. The lyrical and comical are often juxtaposed and shot through with fresh imagery: "We laughed whenever Sugar Shirley, the fa'afafige, walked around Malaefou with nothing but Tausi's panties and bra stuffed with coconuts. These incidents filled our days with butterflies and grasshoppers." (6)

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