Ntozake Shange Critical Essay | Critical Review by Deirdre Neilen

SOURCE: A review of Liliane, in World Literature Today, Vol. 69, Summer, 1995, p. 584.

In the following review of Liliane, Neilen praises the structure of the novel, which interweaves the main character's therapy sessions with the perspectives of her friends and lovers. She emphasizes that Liliane, although subject to racism and sexism, "emerges triumphant, able to forgive and forge a future that encompasses both art and love."

Liliane, the eponymous heroine of Ntozake Shange's third novel [Liliane], is a painter who finds her colors more often in her lovers and friends than in a paintbox. And what a rich and varied canvas they provide: Jean-Rene, Victor-Jesus, Sawyer, Rorie, Lollie, Bernadette, Hyacinthe are characters who slip in and out of the narrative as easily as Liliane plays approach-avoidance with her therapist. By juxtaposing reminiscence and psychoanalytic dialogue, the novel deepens the portrait of the troubled Liliane as she is shaped...
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