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georgia59's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I actually think this is a four star book, but because of the subject matter and the way it left me feeling I've only given it three (more precisely 3.75).
Well structured, well written. Distinct voices for each of the characters and a clear division between two timelines.
One of my most disliked tropes is infidelity and this novel had a hefty dose of it. What Yejide and Akin do to each other is painful and unpleasant to witness and I didn't enjoy the reading of it. This, more than the subject of child loss (despite being a mother myself), was the thing that brought the novel down for me.
Well structured, well written. Distinct voices for each of the characters and a clear division between two timelines.
One of my most disliked tropes is infidelity and this novel had a hefty dose of it. What Yejide and Akin do to each other is painful and unpleasant to witness and I didn't enjoy the reading of it. This, more than the subject of child loss (despite being a mother myself), was the thing that brought the novel down for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Sexual content
donyea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
shanmariereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
chikamma's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Medical trauma
bookishkellyn's review against another edition
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought this was just going to be a dual POV novel about an infertile couple (Akin & Yejide) and the second wife (Funmi) forced upon them in the tradition of polygamy. But the book’s synopsis barely touches on the real drama that unfolds in the rest of the story–lies, deception, infidelity, murder, death. Akin was THE most duplicitous character in the book. He reminds me of a quote: “Imagine the messiest person you know. It’s a man, isn’t it?” The plot twists were an A+.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Infertility, Child death, Abandonment, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Minor: Gun violence, Excrement, and Murder
cirrenamarie's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
deereadstoo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
emily_koopmann's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infertility, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
kellyofcali's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
A very tough story - not for those who cannot deal with a series of crushing blows - but well written and I did feel it paints a picture of a certain place and experience. I don't know if I can say I enjoyed it, per se, given the heaviness, but I am glad I read it. I will say it is "pitched" mush differently than it reads - it's more about being in a marriage, relationships, and being a parent than about a second wife. I also found it ended a bit suddenly for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Grief, Child death, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Infertility, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Abandonment, and Physical abuse
Minor: War
floralfox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
This book was stunning. I was intrigued by the premise, and made some assumptions about obvious things that I thought would happen based on it, and those things DID happen, but never quite how I expected. I loved how the plot unfurled—shocking reveals with motivations peeled back slowly. You think you have the whole story, but you never do. Every scene is always getting recontextualized by later information. Time bends and loops and moves forward in equal measures. And the ending! Bittersweet in a way that I'll be thinking about for a long time.
I especially loved the characters. They were so desperate and so flawed. Above all, Akin wanted Yejedi, and the lengths he went to keep her were the very ones that drove her away. And Yejedi wanted a child, and the lengths she went to be a mother and the wringer that life put her through as a mother was absolutely brutal.
Yejedi is a product of her history as an illegitimate daughter of a mother who died, thought to be cursed at birth and ostracized by her father's other wives, treated like an orphan. The created a deep loneliness in her. Her desperation for a child was so visceral that I was half-tempted to believe her even when there was more compelling reasons to doubt her. Akin's betrayal cut so deep that I understood every awful thing she did in response to it.
And Akin was a coward in so many ways—his decisions ruled by his fragile sense of masculinity. And yet that fragility underscores that there was sacrifice in the act of deepest betrayal, too. He could appear cruel and indifferent, but also incredibly gentle and romantic.
They were complicated, and I didn't them, but I understood them, and for that I loved them.
I especially loved the characters. They were so desperate and so flawed. Above all, Akin wanted Yejedi, and the lengths he went to keep her were the very ones that drove her away. And Yejedi wanted a child, and the lengths she went to be a mother and the wringer that life put her through as a mother was absolutely brutal.
Yejedi is a product of her history as an illegitimate daughter of a mother who died, thought to be cursed at birth and ostracized by her father's other wives, treated like an orphan. The created a deep loneliness in her. Her desperation for a child was so visceral that I was half-tempted to believe her even when there was more compelling reasons to doubt her. Akin's betrayal cut so deep that I understood every awful thing she did in response to it.
And Akin was a coward in so many ways—his decisions ruled by his fragile sense of masculinity. And yet that fragility underscores that there was sacrifice in the act of deepest betrayal, too. He could appear cruel and indifferent, but also incredibly gentle and romantic.
They were complicated, and I didn't them, but I understood them, and for that I loved them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexism and Child death