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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
These stories were so interesting to read and I really enjoyed many of them. I don't read many short story collections, but I'm going to attempt to talk briefly about each of them individually.
Manifest - 5⭐ WHAT a story to start on! It was such an interesting and eerie way to show how a parent's fear and perhaps misguided views can influence their child. I think that's probably all I can say without revealing too much, but very well done!
Breastmilk - 4⭐ I liked this one, but I don't think it hit as much as the first. It was an interesting way of showing her guilt(?) after forgiving her husband, with her body not providing for their newborn.
Contributions - 4.5⭐ incredibly short, but effective way to talk about carrying other people's weight!
The Hollow - 4.75⭐ this one is about houses and what they can be for different people, but also about trauma and how we can pick ourselves back up from it. I really enjoyed the prose in this one!
Imagine Me Carrying You - 4⭐ this one was honestly so frustrating to read. The mother grieving like she had killed her own child when her child was there the whole time taking care of her...it was rough. And the ending!!
24, Alhaji Williams Street - 3.5 ⭐ I'll be honest, the ambiguous ending of this story confused me. I just don't get how it's supposed to prevent the inevitable and it doesn't explain a thing haha. Unless it's supposed to be out of sight out of mind? I don't know. The rest of the story before the ending was good, though.
Things Boys Do - 5⭐ the karma in this one was STRONG. I especially loved the last line of this story: "And you know, terror can feel like being trapped in a dark, tiny place, with no space to move? Like a locker, like a coffin." Just...damn.
Birdwoman - 5⭐ I honestly don't know why I like this one so much, but for the FMC to feel free for a few moments only for it to be crushed to smithereens is just...oof. Kinda feels like an Icarus story in a way.
Girlie - 3.5⭐ I liked the ending of this one, but I didn't necessarily love the journey.
The Wonders of the World - 3.5⭐ Again, I really liked the ending of this one, but the rest was so weird. It probably didn't help that I'm not a religious person, so the whole "prophet" part was lost on me.
The Dusk Market - 3⭐ this had a somewhat interesting premise, but the whole thing was kinda mid in my opinion.
Masquerade Season - 4⭐ Another story of a child sacrificing parts of himself for his mother, by giving up his happiness in exchange for his mother's wealth.
Manifest - 5⭐ WHAT a story to start on! It was such an interesting and eerie way to show how a parent's fear and perhaps misguided views can influence their child. I think that's probably all I can say without revealing too much, but very well done!
Breastmilk - 4⭐ I liked this one, but I don't think it hit as much as the first. It was an interesting way of showing her guilt(?) after forgiving her husband, with her body not providing for their newborn.
Contributions - 4.5⭐ incredibly short, but effective way to talk about carrying other people's weight!
The Hollow - 4.75⭐ this one is about houses and what they can be for different people, but also about trauma and how we can pick ourselves back up from it. I really enjoyed the prose in this one!
Imagine Me Carrying You - 4⭐ this one was honestly so frustrating to read. The mother grieving like she had killed her own child when her child was there the whole time taking care of her...it was rough. And the ending!!
24, Alhaji Williams Street - 3.5 ⭐ I'll be honest, the ambiguous ending of this story confused me. I just don't get how it's supposed to prevent the inevitable and it doesn't explain a thing haha. Unless it's supposed to be out of sight out of mind? I don't know. The rest of the story before the ending was good, though.
Things Boys Do - 5⭐ the karma in this one was STRONG. I especially loved the last line of this story: "And you know, terror can feel like being trapped in a dark, tiny place, with no space to move? Like a locker, like a coffin." Just...damn.
Birdwoman - 5⭐ I honestly don't know why I like this one so much, but for the FMC to feel free for a few moments only for it to be crushed to smithereens is just...oof. Kinda feels like an Icarus story in a way.
Girlie - 3.5⭐ I liked the ending of this one, but I didn't necessarily love the journey.
The Wonders of the World - 3.5⭐ Again, I really liked the ending of this one, but the rest was so weird. It probably didn't help that I'm not a religious person, so the whole "prophet" part was lost on me.
The Dusk Market - 3⭐ this had a somewhat interesting premise, but the whole thing was kinda mid in my opinion.
Masquerade Season - 4⭐ Another story of a child sacrificing parts of himself for his mother, by giving up his happiness in exchange for his mother's wealth.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Great collection of short stories! These were so eerie and intriguing!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
When I started this collection I thought I was going to be reading a the collection of tense paranormal stories, there were a couple here like Manifest, Contributions or The Hollow. More than the horror the book is about home and yearning for belonging, to be known especially in a city as big as Lagos. One line that describes this feeling is in The Dusk Market when we first learn Salewa’s name. “Salewa didn’t want to lie but she also doesn’t know if anything would be different if she had been told the truth those many years ago, if she’s been warned of the loneliness that would plague her days and nights…the hard work that would yield nothing because everything is stacked against you, that she wouldn’t remember the last time someone who wasn’t a drunk client called her name” 186.
The book is how the spirit world is much closer than we think. Always there until we experience it. The veil is thin. The spirit world shows up in everyday life in these stories and there’s some magic to it, it’s also very normal which I enjoyed. I feel that if you believe in anything, have any faith you by default believe in the unseen and unknown and you have to also know/ feel/ believe the spiritual and unexplained can and will touch you in this life. Hopefully inna way you welcome but it doesn’t always go that way as we know. From seeing your mothers face in your daughter who then can’t tell who she is anymore to new born sons tormenting their fathers to finally taking flight and finding your purpose in life as a middle aged women Ghostroots was better than I expected. As I finished the last page I truly understood the wonder in these pages. Now that I have this understanding of the “paranormal in the everyday” I could say every story is my favorite but here are the ones that stood out to me on this read:
The Dusk Market
Manifest
The Hollow
Bird woman
Girlie
The book is how the spirit world is much closer than we think. Always there until we experience it. The veil is thin. The spirit world shows up in everyday life in these stories and there’s some magic to it, it’s also very normal which I enjoyed. I feel that if you believe in anything, have any faith you by default believe in the unseen and unknown and you have to also know/ feel/ believe the spiritual and unexplained can and will touch you in this life. Hopefully inna way you welcome but it doesn’t always go that way as we know. From seeing your mothers face in your daughter who then can’t tell who she is anymore to new born sons tormenting their fathers to finally taking flight and finding your purpose in life as a middle aged women Ghostroots was better than I expected. As I finished the last page I truly understood the wonder in these pages. Now that I have this understanding of the “paranormal in the everyday” I could say every story is my favorite but here are the ones that stood out to me on this read:
The Dusk Market
Manifest
The Hollow
Bird woman
Girlie
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced