Reviews tagging 'Death'

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

20 reviews

emzhay's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Death, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Hate crime

Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Rape, and War

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

rionstorm's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Really well written, but very heavy. The story is told in an almost dissociative, hazy, slow way. Gorgeous descriptions of flora that were all unfamiliar to me, so I got to learn about lots of new plants/fruits/etc. There's only very shallow exploration into any character other than the narrator, which is perhaps by design but left me feeling a bit disconnected from the story. Not exactly my cup of tea but a well written book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Infidelity, War, Misogyny, Outing, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Miscarriage

dfrancis's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Homophobia, War, Death, Hate crime, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

lindiwe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

During the height of the Biafran conflict in 1968, this tale follows Ijeoma. When her father is killed during the war, her life changes as her mother grieves and is separated from her. She is sent to stay with the grammar school teacher, that's when meets Amina, a girl who lost her family during the war, and they establish a relationship that Ijeoma's mother attempts to destroy by cramming the bible down her throat. The author takes us through Nigeria's biafran conflict and how it impacts Ijeoma's childhood, coming to grips with her sexuality, as she marries and goes through motherhood, and marriage problems. A fantastic novel with a remarkable writing style that touches on civil war, bereavement, mother-daughter relationships, religion, lesbianism, and other topics. There was no need for the epilogue, and the blackness and food description were off putting and the way young women's bodies were describe was also problematic for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Grief, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, War, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Violence, Body shaming, Death, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Hate crime, and Death of parent

wreathedinviolets's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, Death, and Hate crime

midnightmarauder's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed reading this book; so much, that I could barely put it down once I began reading it.

Under the Udala Trees tells the story of Ijeoma, a girl who lived in Nigeria during the Biafran war. After

losing her father in an attack

, she and her mother split up, as her mother is distraught about how to live raising a child by herself. This is what ends up with Ijeoma moving away, where she meets Amina.

Amina and Ijeoma are in love with each other, during a time where homosexuality was very looked down upon in Nigeria (and still is today). One night,

as they make love to each other, they are found out by the family they're staying with

, and get split up.

Ijeoma knows in her heart that she is a lesbian, but it isn't allowed by the citizens of Nigeria, nor her mother. So, she is led into years of self-hatred and loathing, wanting so desperately to be allowed to be who she is, but instead being forced to pretend to be something she isn't.

I found myself sympathizing deeply with Ijeoma. As a black lesbian myself, I know what it's like to be at war with yourself, being both so sure of your own feelings, yet conflicted about them, all at the same time. Just wanting to fit in and be like everyone else, but also struggling with it because you're not like everyone else, and not comforming should be allowed. 

Chinelo Okparanta, the author, leaves an author's note about the current stance on which Nigeria has on homosexuality. They have criminalized it, and are listed as the second most religious country in the world. It makes me wonder how many more people like Ijeoma live in that country, forced to hide their love from the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, War, Xenophobia, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Genocide

Moderate: Misogyny, Hate crime, and Mental illness

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

rachbake's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, Death, War, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia

hanreadin's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Outing, Religious bigotry, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Pregnancy, War, Sexism, and Sexual assault

laurareads87's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Under the Udala Trees is an extraordinary novel spanning decades -- from the Nigerian-Biafran war of the late 1960s to the 1990s -- following Ijeoma, who grows from a young girl to an adult over the course of the book.  From a young age and through her school years, Ijeoma finds herself attracted to her female friend in a country where same-sex relationships are not accepted.  The novel explores the ways that Ijeoma is pushed into conforming to heteronormative expectations -- including marrying a man -- not only by her mother, who tries to pray her sexuality away, but by her own self-doubts, fears, and internal struggles.  At the same time, the book explores ethnic and class dynamics, women's roles, generational tensions, and the struggles of articulating one's identity so thoughtfully, and incorporates intertextual references and multiple languages so well.  Beautifully written, Under the Udala Trees will stay with me a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Death, Grief, Rape, Death of parent, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Ableism and Miscarriage

Minor: Islamophobia

bookswithgeorgia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Medical trauma, Grief, Homophobia, War, Death, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Death of parent, and Misogyny