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caitlinhume's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t like this book until page 340/380. Not really worth slogging through it for the ending.
beastreader's review against another edition
1.0
I attempted to read this book but with little to no interest. I mean the story started out fine and for a while I was actually intrigued with what happened to Paul but my excitement disappeared and I found myself just going through the motions until I finally put the book down with no sadness or care for finishing the book. None of the rest of the characters voices were that strong other than for Ajie but even as the story went on his voice grew silent. The other voices were just not loud enough for my to stay invested in the story. Plus, the switching from past to present I found was not as streamlined as I liked and it would stop my flow of reading at times to the point that I would have to re-read the section. Of course part of this could have been due to the fact that I was not focused on the story as a whole 100%.
mellabella's review against another edition
3.0
The 3 stars is for the way the book is written.
I'm being generous.
You don't get to know the characters. They aren't fleshed out.
There is an oldest son (Paul). Middle daughter (Bibi) and youngest (Ajie). Ajie carries the guilt after Paul goes to a friends house and never comes back.
You don't get a feel for how the country was at that time. Which, is disappointing.
I got into it during the first few pages and just kind of coasted until the last? Three quarters or so. I almost gave up.
A family study is nice. But there could Have been so much more.
I'm being generous.
You don't get to know the characters. They aren't fleshed out.
There is an oldest son (Paul). Middle daughter (Bibi) and youngest (Ajie). Ajie carries the guilt after Paul goes to a friends house and never comes back.
You don't get a feel for how the country was at that time. Which, is disappointing.
I got into it during the first few pages and just kind of coasted until the last? Three quarters or so. I almost gave up.
A family study is nice. But there could Have been so much more.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Closer to a 3.75 star rating. I really liked the book's construction and how the reader kept getting bits and pieces of how the Utu family is connected or not connected to the political upheaval in Nigeria in the 1990s and whether Paul's disappearance is connected to those events. I wished, though, that Ile also included one or two chapters set between Ajie being brought home from school by his mother and the final epilogue-like three sections. I would have liked to see how Ajie and Bibi were impacted by the loss of their older brother as they finished school and went to college rather than see an end product at the end of the book.
As I was reading, I was reminded of Stewart O'Nan's [b:Songs for the Missing|3247408|Songs for the Missing|Stewart O'Nan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347318899s/3247408.jpg|3282191] in subject. The settings are quite different, obviously, but the way the "missing" child is presented within the family's life and how the families are both disrupted was similar.
As I was reading, I was reminded of Stewart O'Nan's [b:Songs for the Missing|3247408|Songs for the Missing|Stewart O'Nan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347318899s/3247408.jpg|3282191] in subject. The settings are quite different, obviously, but the way the "missing" child is presented within the family's life and how the families are both disrupted was similar.
miszjeanie's review against another edition
5.0
What a stunning piece of work. It is not often that a fictional family breaks open your heart and awakens so much nostalgia. This book is an impressive debut. Lyrical, masterful and oh, so tender.
mpal's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mokey81's review against another edition
2.0
I am willing to believe that it may have been cultural differences in story-telling that led to me not enjoying this book, but overall, it was rather boring. The blurb made it sound like a missing person's story, and how that event affected the family left behind.
But that is not at all what it was. The boy goes missing, but the bulk of the book is just about the every day life of the family before the boy went missing. I suppose I got a small look at how chaotic things were in the country, how corrupt the government was, but overall, the story did not move and the characters did not develop.
There was a rather noticeable lack of emotion through most of the book; the exception being when the family realizes their eldest son is missing. But the rest of the book exists sans emotion.
I had higher hopes for this book, but they didn't pan out. I almost wish I had put it down, but it was a gift and I felt I should finish it.
But that is not at all what it was. The boy goes missing, but the bulk of the book is just about the every day life of the family before the boy went missing. I suppose I got a small look at how chaotic things were in the country, how corrupt the government was, but overall, the story did not move and the characters did not develop.
There was a rather noticeable lack of emotion through most of the book; the exception being when the family realizes their eldest son is missing. But the rest of the book exists sans emotion.
I had higher hopes for this book, but they didn't pan out. I almost wish I had put it down, but it was a gift and I felt I should finish it.
anetq's review against another edition
2.0
The thing about this book is; I'm bored. The bickering of the younger siblings, the going off to school, getting picked up at school, eating with the family, a summer in the country... Nothing is happening, and frankly I don't really care about the characters. Besides the book being bookended by the disappearance of the older brother, and the explanation (20 pages before the end) it's all just glimpses of (rather boring) everyday stuff. Maybe one is supposed to feel something significant about boys growing up from this, I don't know. And the vague history lesson of Nigeria and the fighting the oil companies after the Biafra war, well it still doesn't make up for this story having no plot what so ever... Maybe if that had been the focus of the story, it'd have been interesting? It does get 2 stars for decent writing.