Scan barcode
vee_thereader's review
5.0
Whew. What a book. Theres so much to unpack that I long to discuss this book with someone. Sefi Atta’s writing is unique and poetic, her ability to inhabit the characters’ minds and lives convincingly, proves furthermore that she was born to write. Sefi Atta is one of the latest in a great line of female Nigerian writers. This book was so engrossing, her style so unobtrusive that after a while they transcend the reading experience.
‘Swallow’ is a vivid tale of the life of a Lagosian & the effects of the socioeconomic & political landscape on Nigerian women. This book touched on a lot of issues that I felt aren’t talked much about in African households- such as; drug trafficking, sexual harassement, the effects of poverty, etc. After reading this, I asked myself one question: “What does empowerment for women look like in countries where there are limited opportunities?” I believe this story answers this question–“who cares?” This book focused on a lot of issues. Time and time again, we are reminded that the world doesn’t favor women. We are reminded that women are nothing without marriage, that when a man is infertile, it should be kept a secret but when it is a woman it deserves to be publicly announced, that when we are making more than our husbands we should be silent about it, and when we are taken advantaged of, we should endure it…or else.
In a society dominated by men, Tolani along with her roommate, Rose, navigate through the hardships of living in Lagos. But to what extent can poverty push someone? What decisions does one have to make just to survive? Although the plot is introduced much later in the story, through the smallest details of the characters’s everyday life, they are able to carry the plot. As I am still recovering from the story, I don’t think the author’s point was to center this entire book on drug trafficking but instead to skillfully expose the hardships women go through in Nigeria and how far poverty and lack of governmental effectiveness can push a person. Besides these two women, Tolani’s mother story is incorporated intermittently, exposing what many women endure in a marriage.
‘Swallow’ is a vivid tale of the life of a Lagosian & the effects of the socioeconomic & political landscape on Nigerian women. This book touched on a lot of issues that I felt aren’t talked much about in African households- such as; drug trafficking, sexual harassement, the effects of poverty, etc. After reading this, I asked myself one question: “What does empowerment for women look like in countries where there are limited opportunities?” I believe this story answers this question–“who cares?” This book focused on a lot of issues. Time and time again, we are reminded that the world doesn’t favor women. We are reminded that women are nothing without marriage, that when a man is infertile, it should be kept a secret but when it is a woman it deserves to be publicly announced, that when we are making more than our husbands we should be silent about it, and when we are taken advantaged of, we should endure it…or else.
In a society dominated by men, Tolani along with her roommate, Rose, navigate through the hardships of living in Lagos. But to what extent can poverty push someone? What decisions does one have to make just to survive? Although the plot is introduced much later in the story, through the smallest details of the characters’s everyday life, they are able to carry the plot. As I am still recovering from the story, I don’t think the author’s point was to center this entire book on drug trafficking but instead to skillfully expose the hardships women go through in Nigeria and how far poverty and lack of governmental effectiveness can push a person. Besides these two women, Tolani’s mother story is incorporated intermittently, exposing what many women endure in a marriage.
usikholor's review
5.0
In my eyes, Tolani and her mother are very similar people with very different experiences but also similar in the things that life throws at them.
In Swallow, as Sefi Atta always does, she represents the Nigerian society in the way that it truly is. Very real and pure.
In Swallow, as Sefi Atta always does, she represents the Nigerian society in the way that it truly is. Very real and pure.
bukolayemi's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Swallow is a novel about corruption, friendship, love, morality, identity, drug trafficking among other themes.
Set in 1980s Lagos during the Nigerian government’s War Against Indiscipline and austerity measures, it softly deals with the heavy themes with engaging and beautiful writing.
Sefi Atta writes Lagos well, she documents places, political events and pop culture in such a lovely way.
I don’t remember reading any other novel that is not broken down into chapters. Well the last 50 pages are in part two but majority of this story is one long continuous part one.
If like me, you wait until the end of a chapter to put down a book, be ready to drop this one midway and pick it again in the morning, there are no chapters. Saying that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and soon got used to the lack of chapters.
jesujuwonlo's review
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I enjoyed reading this. I loved how simple it was to read and how much it talked about relatable issues.
blessing_aj's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lipglossmaffia's review
4.0
If you haven't read any Atta, you should. Also, don't forget to read Everything Good Will Come.
tracy2_0's review
5.0
Sharp, concise and in Sefi Atta's deft hands the simplicity of the story is full and rich, namely what will one do for survival that another will not for that same survival.
flowahh_'s review
3.0
A vivid tale of Lagosian life.
Set in the 1980s in Lagos, when the government’s “War Against Indiscipline” was in full swing. Sefi Atta tells the story of Tolani, a bank secretary, and her roommate Rose and how they navigate life in Lagos.I was immediately taken by the author’s vivid description of Lagos as it felt like I was constantly walking beside Tolani as she experienced life and the city. While doing an incredible job at evoking the sounds and smells of Lagos, Sefi Atta highlights the issues faced by the African women - the pressures of getting married, vulnerability to sexual harassment, and the terrible nature of poverty. But that’s not all, it also does a great job of showing the racial, class, and religious tensions found in Lagos. I think I should mention that at times the novel felt choppy, but it was something that I was able to easily overlook. It can be considered an easy read, and is definitely worth the read.
Set in the 1980s in Lagos, when the government’s “War Against Indiscipline” was in full swing. Sefi Atta tells the story of Tolani, a bank secretary, and her roommate Rose and how they navigate life in Lagos.I was immediately taken by the author’s vivid description of Lagos as it felt like I was constantly walking beside Tolani as she experienced life and the city. While doing an incredible job at evoking the sounds and smells of Lagos, Sefi Atta highlights the issues faced by the African women - the pressures of getting married, vulnerability to sexual harassment, and the terrible nature of poverty. But that’s not all, it also does a great job of showing the racial, class, and religious tensions found in Lagos. I think I should mention that at times the novel felt choppy, but it was something that I was able to easily overlook. It can be considered an easy read, and is definitely worth the read.