Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

13 reviews

jazlem's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

My first 5 star Read of 2024! This book will really stay with me for a long time (excuse the pun!) The characters had so much depth to them and the plot kept me guessing throughout, I did not expect the ending or any of the twists. It was beautifully written and kept me hooked throughout. It of course deals with some heavy themes of child loss, familial abuse and political turbulence in the landscape of 1980s Nigeria but it had a hopeful ending and I recommend everyone to read this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Infertility, Death of parent, Medical content, Child death, Gun violence, and Infidelity

bookishkellyn's review against another edition

sad tense

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

5.0

I thought this was just going to be a dual POV novel about an infertile couple (Akin & Yejide) and the second wife (Funmi) forced upon them in the tradition of polygamy. But the book’s synopsis barely touches on the real drama that unfolds in the rest of the story–lies, deception, infidelity, murder, death. Akin was THE most duplicitous character in the book. He reminds me of a quote: “Imagine the messiest person you know. It’s a man, isn’t it?” The plot twists were an A+.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Infertility, Child death, Abandonment, and Grief

Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Mental illness

Minor: Gun violence, Excrement, and Murder

karinahull's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Complex family drama surrounding infertility, polygamy, and sexual dysfunction. Really interesting look into Nigerian customs surrounding marriage and family. Several tragic things happened in this book but I didn’t feel the full weight of them as a reader? Perhaps I needed more time with the characters!! 

Very interested in coming back to this book when I have a family, I think several things would hit much harder with that context. 

Beautiful writing, very emotionally complex story. I wish it was longer!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, and Infidelity

georgie_mb's review against another edition

emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

An easy 5 stars. 

Heartbreaking and moving, this had me routing for all the characters. The struggle of Yejide trying to conceive soon lifts back the curtain of the lies and deceit that makes up her household. There are so many twists and turns that had me gasping out loud, and if this hadn’t been part of a readathon I would have read this quicker than I did!

I also loved the settings, shifting from Nigeria in the 1980’s to the modern day, and discovering the cultural and historical references along the way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Gun violence, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Excrement

vedpears's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-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

5.0

Loved this book. The story sucked me in right away and made me tear up and/or cry a few times. As a mother, there were certain plot points that struck very deeply. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Death, Grief, Child death, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Toxic relationship, War, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Bullying, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings

katharina90's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A strong debut with lots to unpack, especially patriarchal and familial expectations around having kids and how damaging that is for couples struggling with infertility. 

I didn't find the characters very likable but my heart still broke for them. 

The audiobook is narrated well and helped transport me to Nigeria where the story takes place.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, Child death, Sexism, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Grief

Minor: Sexual content

vanesst's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Child death, Grief, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Gun violence, and Alcohol

bookish_houseplant's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is probably the most emotionally difficult book I have ever read. I just finished it and I'm shaking and sobbing. After part one as someone who has always wanted children but doesn't have any yet, I had to put it down. I picked it back up today and read the rest all at once. It's like a train crash; terrible to watch but you can't look away. Don't read this if you want something light-hearted. However I rate books on how much they make me feel something and this book is beautifully written and absolutely tore my heart out. If you're up for that, I highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, and Child death

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, and War

If you enjoyed Violet Evergarden I think you would appreciate this and vice versa

amberinbookland's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Child death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Murder, Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Alcohol, and Abandonment

ejb44's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 

Set in Nigeria during the 1990s and early 2000s, Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ follows Yejide and Akin on their troubled path to parenthood. The contrast between traditional family values and modern citizens breaking that norm permeates the book and is the centre of the conflict. The family are at cross-roads, with opinions rooted in Yoruba tradition and culture circling Yejide and Akin in their journey to conceive. 

Though mainly from the perspective of Yejide in the beginning, the book alternates between the two, so we read the raw emotions of both these adults as they are trying to conceive. The scale of emotional depth throughout the book is next to none, and for a debut novel, it is so raw and heart breaking that it often felt I was the protagonist going through the journey myself. 

The beauty of the writing, a style I would like to Purple Hibiscus, is what grounds the novel. Such detail to precision and a clear choice of words and plot is rare in best-selling novels and Adébáyọ̀ didn’t miss a beat in creating an enticing plot that had well developed characters and the right level of emotion to sustain the reader throughout. Adébáyọ̀ weaves the story in such a timely manner where each chapter unveils a new aspect to the story, a different angle or emotion for the reader to explore alongside the characters, and the quick pace of the novel never felt out of place. For a debut author to have such control of her writing is astonishing to see. 

My greatest joy when reading this book was seeing how flawed the characters were – time and time again, especially in marriages, writings will portray relationships as either toxic or perfect, with little room for complex analysis for themes of marital issues, divorce, cheating, infertility, child death and other more difficult subjects to discuss, but Adébáyọ̀ makes sure to centre these characters as flawed humans who are real and touchable. The book didn’t focus on who is accountable or who is to blame but just accepts that people are broken and don’t actually need fixing. This was a refreshing take on marriage, particularly marriages between African’s which often centre on African misconceptions (though, obviously, not untrue in some cases) like domestic violence and polygamy.  

The only thing that didn’t sit right with me was the ending, especially because I was so ready for this to be a five-star book. While I find it difficult to pin-point the actual reason why it annoys me so much, I thought the ending felt a little too simplistic and optimistic, especially when compared to the turbulence of the novel and the complex discussions and narratives that played throughout. I was gearing myself up for this novel to rip out my heart at the end, but in reality, I just felt numb to the ending, and perhaps that is my fault for always expecting the worst in novels. 

Overall, if you fell in love with the poetic language in Purple Hibiscus or want a novel that deals with Nigerian culture in the midst of their loose democracy being challenged, and also explores parenthood, polygamy and the dual narrative this book provides, I would highly recommend this read as it is so beautifully written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence