Reviews

Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions: A Novel in Interlocking Stories by Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi

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daisypraises's review

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inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

shorshewitch's review

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emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? No

5.0

Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions by Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi

I bought this pre-loved book from a known bookseller because of its title. It has food. And Jollof is such a tasty word. No, I can't explain!

This is my first time with this format of a novel with interlocking short stories based on characters - in POVs both first person and third person. And I absolutely loved it. The story(s) has 4 Nigerian friends who have grown up together and have stayed in touch. I love reading about friends who stay with each other through everything.

This is a debut of the author and it totally does not seem like it. The author seems like a veteran and knows exactly what she wants to convey and how.

The span during which the stories occur covers one and a half century - from 1897 to 2050. There is a high level chronology followed when a story opens and at a granular level, each story takes up the burden of filling in the details of the gaps in between.

Despite the challenging format, the author does exceptionally well in making each story connect with the others, building up a fabulous single thread, all along superbly tackling themes ranging from churches, religions, to romantic relationships, generational traumas, conservative politics, immigration, belonging, alienation, bullying, police brutality, racism, rape and sexual abuse, parental neglect, childhood traumas, friendships, medical complexities, grief, misogyny and patriarchy. It has some fiesty women and tonnes of good men, some stories witty in their humor, and many rich in their descriptions of Nigerian culture, customs and food. The final wrap up in which we get to see all the characters again in one story is emotional and cathartic.

I would totally recommend this book if you like short stories and want to explore a related format. The pace is pretty fast.
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//And so here is Ife, my only grandchild, engaged to a moron at sixteen and dressed like a nun from the 1980s, except her habit is royal blue instead of black. At a time when the Catholic Church has agreed that priests can marry and women can be ordained, my granddaughter is asserting her right to be a throwback.//

alic59books's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

4.5

aliena_jackson's review against another edition

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4.0

I was plesantly surprised by my enjoyment of this novel. After a rough start, I wasn't sure I would continue, but I'm so glad I did. My only complaint is that Adaoma and Uchenna's story was out of place and underdeveloped. I wanted to know what happened, and how that affected Uchenna! This was gorgeous, and I alternated between laughing and crying. I wanted to know more about these characters, and it breaks my heart that I have to leave them between the pages of this book.