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funnyproffy2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
A very nice story, I personally didn't like the hopping between the 20 year period this story covers. I found it hard to each time pick up the era which continued a few chapters later over and over. Switching between 1992, 2002 and 2012 in the whole booj. Otherwise it would have been 5 stars
readincolour's review against another edition
3.0
It took me quite a while to figure out who the characters were and which era they belonged to. The author doesn't prepare readers for the characters/time period switches initially and it was so confusing. I also was unable to connect with any of the characters, which was disappointing because I enjoyed the characters in the author's previous work, The Woman Next Door.
riverdogbookco's review
3.0
A young man attempts to cure his loneliness in socially unacceptable ways, until he discovers the answer may lie in a curse placed upon his family years ago.
Through three decades, two countries and multiple points of view, a complete picture of Leke's life in the present slowly surfaces in Yewande Omotoso's debut novel. Shortlisted for the 2012 Sunday Times Fiction Prize, Bom Boy is published in North America for the first time following the critical acclaim for her second novel, The Woman Next Door, a 2018 finalist for the International Dublin Literary Award and a nominee for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Fiction.
Leke lives between worlds: Nigerian and South African, white and black, birth family and adoptive family, dreaming and awake. He struggles to make connections with people and between what's real and what's imagined. Pieces of his story fall into place when his adoptive father hands him letters written by his birth father. At first, Leke ignores them entirely. His day-to-day behavior becomes increasingly erratic. He pickpockets and shoplifts small objects and begins innocently stalking people out of curiosity. Over time he becomes a hypochondriac in an attempt to discover the cure for his heartbreaking loneliness and isolation.
It is only by taking the risk genuinely to connect with someone in his present that Leke is able to face the past contained in the letters, and he learns his only hope is to break the curse placed upon his family generations before. Despite his quirks, Leke's plight is curiously engaging as it speaks to the universal yearning to belong somewhere with someone.
Through three decades, two countries and multiple points of view, a complete picture of Leke's life in the present slowly surfaces in Yewande Omotoso's debut novel. Shortlisted for the 2012 Sunday Times Fiction Prize, Bom Boy is published in North America for the first time following the critical acclaim for her second novel, The Woman Next Door, a 2018 finalist for the International Dublin Literary Award and a nominee for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Fiction.
Leke lives between worlds: Nigerian and South African, white and black, birth family and adoptive family, dreaming and awake. He struggles to make connections with people and between what's real and what's imagined. Pieces of his story fall into place when his adoptive father hands him letters written by his birth father. At first, Leke ignores them entirely. His day-to-day behavior becomes increasingly erratic. He pickpockets and shoplifts small objects and begins innocently stalking people out of curiosity. Over time he becomes a hypochondriac in an attempt to discover the cure for his heartbreaking loneliness and isolation.
It is only by taking the risk genuinely to connect with someone in his present that Leke is able to face the past contained in the letters, and he learns his only hope is to break the curse placed upon his family generations before. Despite his quirks, Leke's plight is curiously engaging as it speaks to the universal yearning to belong somewhere with someone.
ashels's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Didn't love it. Felt pointless at times. Language easy to read/understand.
vanyavampi118's review
4.0
A heartfelt story of a boy. Lost through the years, he eventually finds his way. A recommended read.
gmdudley4's review against another edition
3.0
I have had this book on my list for a while and was eager to read it especially after the less than stellar review I wrote of Omotoso's other book. The novel centers on Leke - a confused and awkward young man. The story is told through Leke's present day actions like hypochondria, thievery, and stalking and meshed with letters his father (whom he has never met) wrote to him as a baby. The novel was captivating from the beginning - I love books told through multiple perspectives with epistolary elements, but it quickly lost its luster. The novel became as confused as its character about mid-way through - I am not sure if this was the author's intentional technique. The book unfortunately never redeemed itself. I am convinced that this author could be much more engaging as a short story writer as her plots are intriguing but cannot be carried as full novels.
chandle5's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
kmmi_booklover's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting elements that just didn't quite come together for me. A very lonely young man, Leke, seeks connections by stalking people in malls, making appointments with every type of doctor/practitioner imaginable, and steals things. He does not know his birth mother and his adoptive mother passed away. I adored Leke's quirkiness but would have like a better wrap up to the story.
chantekotze's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5