A review by megmcreads
Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo

emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

3.25

I'm quite torn about this book. On one hand I loved the cultural aspect. I really enjoyed learning a bit about Nigerian culture, specifically from the perspective of someone trying to balance what they were born into and what they moved into. It's a very interesting and rather foreign concept for me. What I appreciated though, was that while I don't personally understand it, I felt Azere's stress and anxieties about doing what was expected of her.

What didn't work for me was a lot of the dialogue and time-line. The dialogue didn't feel natural, specifically between the Azere and Rafael. What really stood out was how often they said each other's names when they were the only two in the scene. That's not a thing people do! And it drove me NUTS! As far as the time-line it felt like we were on a bullet train that only made stops at stations where no one was boarding or disembarking. Lots of needless detail for things that didn't require it.

I'd harp on the explanations of cultural specifics but I have a feeling those would have been pushed by the publisher and maybe not the author. But who knows! I just wish author's didn't have to do that. I do appreciate it from a curiosity pov but I can Google and they often feel like a footnote within the story.

I highly recommend reading reviews for this book from Own Voice readers.

Overall, this book was readable and it was a decent debut! I will definitely read more from Jane Igharo in the future.
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