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fatsss's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
gracefallsthroughtherabbithole's review
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
okjkay's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
starlightnb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.5
readingafrica's review against another edition
Heart-wrenching story about gay men growing up in Nigeria, socialist ideals, grief, and shedding the burden of expectations. I listened to the audiobook for ease, but the narrator's attempt at Nigerian accent was so annoying! It was clumsy, the pidgin was choppy, and so many words were mispronounced (which is why I'm typically wary of African audiobooks not narrated by the authors). Definitely not a light read, but it offers insight into the lives of middle-class/poor Nigerians, and specifically the sting of growing up gay in a homophobic society.
wambsreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mcastello13's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was lucky enough to attend a live conversation between Ani Kayode and Roxane Gay about this book as they were launching it last year, and it was honestly one of the coolest experiences of my life. Roxane Gay is a writer I’ve deeply admired since I began college and was assigned some of her work for my intro writing classes, and it was wonderful to see her in person and to hear her and Ani talk about this incredibly novel, the first to be published under her new imprint. And I can see now why she chose it - this is a devastating, beautiful, important story that deserves a wide audience. Among many other things, it helped shine a light for me on the immense challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ community in Nigeria, as well as the activism that has risen up to try to combat those challenges. I’m really grateful to have read such a powerful piece of art from an extremely talented up-and-coming novelist, and look forward to reading more from him, and from Roxane Gay Books more broadly, in future.
kaityj11's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
denizzz's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? Yes
4.0