Reviews with content warning for Grief - Rootless

A really heartfelt, emotional rollercoaster of a story! I enjoyed these characters and the way they were humanized and made to feel authentic through time and growth. I find myself gravitating to stories about motherhood for some reason, and I think this book tackles nuances around being a mother (and maybe not being a good one). Basically as soon as I started this book I was like “oh yeah, 5 star read coming my way!!” but almost felt betrayed by the ending.

I just don’t think it made sense to have Efe die. Like I just did not understand how that furthered the story or made it more meaningful, if anything it felt like a cheap trick to draw tears. I don’t necessarily think this story needed a happy ending, in fact I do think it needed to end before full resolution or none at all, but killing her off felt needless and jarring.

So this was a perfect book until the end for me, I think it would make a great book club choice!

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katebrownreads's review against another edition

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3.5

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happiestwhenreading's review

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emotional sad 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

4.0

While Efe and I are opposites in almost every way - she's Ghananian, career-focused, and has never had a desire to have children - I was absolutely inthralled with her character! She is tough, independent, resilient, and doesn't bend for anyone. Appiah captured the essence of her and her struggles so well, and as a reader, I had sympathy, empathy, and a whole lot of love for her. Sam, her husband, also captured my heart. While he had his faults (like we all do), his love for Efe was deep and true. He kept making the conscientious choice to try to understand and change his ways so that Efe and him could continue to grow in their love. Appiah is a wonderful storyteller and I absolutely loved her writing style. Seeing how this is her debut novel, we all have a lot to look forward to! (**Please know there are some content trigger warnings here...I didn't mention them so as not to spoil the book, but please seek out more information if you are a sensitive reader.)

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joey1914's review

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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chloelj27's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

3.5

Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What I like:

💜 The timeline from the 1990’s to the present.

💚 Representation of Ghana’s culture.

💜 Awareness of several important issues (mental health/postpartum, societal expectations, familial pressures, racism etc).

💚 Depth of the characters (especially Efe).

This book had me intrigued from reading the synopsis and it definitely kept me intrigued when reading it. It packed many sensitive and real topics in a powerful, emotional way that many people experience, but was interesting to see how those issues are handled within a different culture. I loved the highlighting key points with each year as a chapter, although at times it felt slow in places, so had to push through. Personally, the way the narrative was written, I wasn’t a fan and I didn’t always feel connected to the characters. This could have been resolved I think if less time was spent on flashbacks and more on the relationships and character developments. That being said, I still think Rootless is worth the read if you want a book that gets you to reflect on finding who you are as a person and pushing past familial and societal pressures.

Thank you Net Galley, Harper Collins and Krystle for accepting me as an ARC reader in exchange for an honest review.

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amandas_bookshelf's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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