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lulureads365's review against another edition
5.0
This story….it broke my heart. The suffering that these women endure and keep to themselves is beyond any description of patience and courage that I’ve come across.
This was a hard read, but I think it’s necessary in order to see the abuse that women in different parts of the world go through on a regular basis and considered normal.
Please prepare yourself before picking this up.
This was a hard read, but I think it’s necessary in order to see the abuse that women in different parts of the world go through on a regular basis and considered normal.
Please prepare yourself before picking this up.
thelilfawn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
natalia_dobrovic's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
themildone's review against another edition
challenging
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? Yes
4.25
paracosm's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
4.5
The entire time I was listening to the audiobook I was clenching my jaw in anger at what these women, and so many others like them, have gone through.
imanibookss's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
nixmand's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
The Impatient is a novel from Cameroon which explores the issues of polygamy and forced marriage through the experiences of three different women. The realities of not being permitted a choice in who you marry, in having your husband take another wife and being expected to welcome and train her, of arriving in a strange home and being subservient to and subject to the whims of a first wife who resents your presence, of having no rights or fallbacks if your husband becomes violent - all these and more are canvassed in this short but impactful story. The women resisted, fought back, and tried to gain agency, not always in admirable ways. But in a situation where they have no rights and no protections it is easy to see why they may have made the choices they did. A powerful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual violence
year23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
It’s hard to put into words the emotions this book evokes - rage, despair, hatred, agony. I had some notion of the practice of forced marriage and polygamy but this was one of the most raw portrayals of its damage and tyranny over women’s lives in this region (Camaroon). Your heart will break. I know these stories will stay with me for a long time.
But what stands out to me maybe most of all is this title, and it’s resonance in the way each woman chooses to fight back, to reclaim her self, her place, her choices. They are each impatient in a world determined to erase them with the command “Munyal”.
There’s so much to unpack in this short book - it’s so clearly an important text. I highly recommend though do check the content warnings.
But what stands out to me maybe most of all is this title, and it’s resonance in the way each woman chooses to fight back, to reclaim her self, her place, her choices. They are each impatient in a world determined to erase them with the command “Munyal”.
There’s so much to unpack in this short book - it’s so clearly an important text. I highly recommend though do check the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail