Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe

4 reviews

nini23's review against another edition

There is nothing wrong with this book, I just can't stomach a 17-year-old while grieving family deaths being subsumed by an older 'man of God.'

Content Warnings

raquelbb's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

This book made me sad - it was so dark. I couldn’t bare watching Nani go through one trauma after another.

In the end,

I was really glad to see Nani find her freedom. However, it’s clear she is only able to escape the situation because of her background of wealth and connections. Maybe that’s a comment on how difficult it is for survivors of SA and DV to get out. Imagine if Nani had been from a poor background, her ending might have been very different.

I did love the narration from Nneka Okoye.

Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

The Middle Daughter is inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth but has a feminist twist and is set in modern Nigeria. Following the deaths of her older sister and then her father 17 year old Nani is reeling. That she is grieving in a different way than her mother and younger sister leaves her feeling isolated and confused, vulnerable to the attention of Ephraim, an itinerant preacher. The plot then goes on to cover some heavy topics so do check for trigger warnings. I don’t want to give away spoilers but I will say I admired Nani’s strength and resilience, the way she was able to stay strong for her children. Her husband made my skin crawl and my blood pressure skyrocket, so kudos to Unigwe for such effective characterisation. He was a chilling representation of power hungry men who misuse religion for their own twisted and selfish ends. I struggled to connect with Nani’s mother. She loved her daughter so I have to accept that she believed she was acting in Nani’s best interests, but it really felt like she was simply trying to save face by avoiding gossip and public shaming. I couldn’t help but draw comparisons with Clarissa, an 18th century novel where the parents cut their daughter off, because she won’t obey them, but in so doing push her into a terrible situation with no means of escape. Loved that the end here offered hope after all the hardship.

Content Warnings

chapstickdealer's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad fast-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

4.0

Content Warnings

More...