Reviews

This is the story of Morayo, a Nigerian girl, whose life is cruelly altered when she is abused by a relative. The story spans three decades from Morayo's blissful, Yoruba childhood in the 1970s, through her traumatic adolescence, into her troubled twenties and thirties

The story looks at surviving as a child amongst many family secrets and how abuse can lead to the mental and physical breakdown of the victim.

It is a character driven story with no plot and the story explores how social issues are dealt with in Nigeria.

I loved the use of Nigerian folk stories to teach life lessons. Morayo is a well written character. She is vulnerable yet intelligent and she gained a wealth of knowledge from her close relative, Morenike. Morenike became a mentor to Morayo, however Morenike becomes involved in political advocacy and I did not enjoy this part of the novel. I understand the author was trying to show us how politics are run in the country but I felt this had no benefit or relation to the story.

The second half of the novel was strong. I have read many coming of age stories but I did not expect this part to go in the direction in which it did. It explored regaining control, ownership and consent in a very interesting way.

4.5 ⭐️ stars for me, I would have given it 5 ⭐️ but I did not enjoy the political chapters.

ellei's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

What happens when trauma strikes and the family that is supposed to be there to protect you, goes silent and turns a blind eye? This is an important story that ALL should read, especially women and young girls. This is a story about families, trauma, love, joy, and forgiveness. I fell in love with Aunty Morenike and Morayo and I loved their bond and the fact that they went through life together. In many ways they were like sisters, but also like parent and child. Through the laughter and heartbreak, they were there for each other. 5/5 ⭐️

Content Warnings

bookedatheart_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

temiii's review against another edition

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5.0

I cried at the end when Morayo read Aunty Morenike’s letter. This novel is beautifully written and I’m certain it is relatable for many Nigerian women. It provides a critical look at Yoruba culture, family dynamics, politics, and the ever present misogyny. Personally, I feel I needed to read this and I hope many others do too.

gracebekas's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

some aspects of this book pissed me off a lot but it was good, accurate

joshua_kolawole's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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