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obfuscatress's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, and Abortion
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Incest
booksillremember's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
An interesting story, and I like the idea of showing it through two POVs. Complex family dynamics and intergenerational trauma were described in an insightful and mostly nuanced way.
The novel is a commentary on #metoo, racism and classism in Ghana and to a lesser extend the US. Towards the end, it feels really quite preachy, as if the author doesn't trust her characters to convey the message or she doesn't trust her readers to understand it otherwise (there's a few pages where Akorfa mentally lists all the pros and cons of living in Ghana vs the US as a black person, almost like a school essay).
I feel the author relies too much on 'tell, don't show' instead of letting the character's actions speak for themselves. I also wish more time had been spent on the main characters coming to term with their pasts.
That said, the writing style is very accessible and I enjoyed learning a bit about Ghana (and really want to try the food now), so I'd definitely recommend picking this up if you need a break from more challenging reads.
The novel is a commentary on #metoo, racism and classism in Ghana and to a lesser extend the US. Towards the end, it feels really quite preachy, as if the author doesn't trust her characters to convey the message or she doesn't trust her readers to understand it otherwise (there's a few pages where Akorfa mentally lists all the pros and cons of living in Ghana vs the US as a black person, almost like a school essay).
I feel the author relies too much on 'tell, don't show' instead of letting the character's actions speak for themselves. I also wish more time had been spent on the main characters coming to term with their pasts.
That said, the writing style is very accessible and I enjoyed learning a bit about Ghana (and really want to try the food now), so I'd definitely recommend picking this up if you need a break from more challenging reads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Rape, Abortion, Classism, and Racism
alisonannk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Body shaming, Classism, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Toxic friendship, Racism, Sexual harassment, Blood, Rape, Abortion, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Police brutality, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Generational trauma really will have you not see your daughter as her own person and see her cousin who’s literally a child as out to get you when it’s the reverse
Specific review to the audio book: over all enjoyed and liked it but I found the woman who narrated the first part a bit too soft spoken for me but my earphones are also a bit busted so maybe it was that. The third narrator also has a very bad French accent which barely came up when Phillip is such a. Minor character and doesn’t talk for most of his scenes but it was very surprising how bad the French accent was for those two lines lol.
My biggest issue with Medie’s writing is always pacing bc I think her writing can drag (though here the first part is very intentionally slower then the second or third that both pick up) also bc I don’t think she excels like some others literary writers especially other women in talking about violent mundane social issues and also the mundane joys and comedy of life that the lack of can make the books sometimes feel suffocating and unbearable at parts even when I adore her protagonists for this one. So that’s a major pacing issue for me especially when I both get and like the point of how suffocating machismo is! That said I know I didn’t not really pick up or enjoy the comedy elements in His Only Wife i know others did so I might not be appreciating elements in asking for that are in this and her debut book that others might.
At other points I felt like that for all that I wish her books were more anticapitalist bc it feels like her characters only get through their lives by becoming very wealthy despite her excellent criticism of corruption and violence in elite institutions and organizations it feels ironic that a lot of her characters who suffer ultimately get their lives were worth it because of money even if we both agree the world does listen to money over women. also I couldn’t really believe a woman who’s aware how corrupt the government and country is and whose husband is a politician wouldn’t be aware she cannot hit a politician who sexually harassed her and her young female employee and hit them both so I wish that was written from a different angle to have the events happen but more believable. Still while I like and appreciate that I do feel her books are not aimed at women and men who would just agree with her about violence against women especially since none of her protagonists ever call themselves feminists and I don’t think it’s good writing to expect a fiction book to address everything or be a manifesto I do think she got to explicitly heavy handed about those themes and social criticism at times. However I also appreciated how aware she is of the roles other women play as agents of patriarchy because I have heard women of every age and supposed political background regardless how progressive they claim to be or not saw the same suffocating victim blaming things to get away from confronting violent men or their own malicious sexism.
Akorfa in my honest opinion never really learned to be more thoughtful of others interpersonally even if she’s truly not that bad a person and does develop over the book and I would say is actually her positive to people. But her never truly addressing trivial to serious problems her friends had with her was so funny.
Selasi deserved her complimentary comparison to Jesus :). My favorite girl/woman
Also I’ve been to Washington DC and Georgetown and lived in Pittsburgh and been to university of Pittsburgh and it was so much fun hearing those cities described and the library staircases I’ve also been to.
Specific review to the audio book: over all enjoyed and liked it but I found the woman who narrated the first part a bit too soft spoken for me but my earphones are also a bit busted so maybe it was that. The third narrator also has a very bad French accent which barely came up when Phillip is such a. Minor character and doesn’t talk for most of his scenes but it was very surprising how bad the French accent was for those two lines lol.
My biggest issue with Medie’s writing is always pacing bc I think her writing can drag (though here the first part is very intentionally slower then the second or third that both pick up) also bc I don’t think she excels like some others literary writers especially other women in talking about violent mundane social issues and also the mundane joys and comedy of life that the lack of can make the books sometimes feel suffocating and unbearable at parts even when I adore her protagonists for this one. So that’s a major pacing issue for me especially when I both get and like the point of how suffocating machismo is! That said I know I didn’t not really pick up or enjoy the comedy elements in His Only Wife i know others did so I might not be appreciating elements in asking for that are in this and her debut book that others might.
At other points I felt like that for all that I wish her books were more anticapitalist bc it feels like her characters only get through their lives by becoming very wealthy despite her excellent criticism of corruption and violence in elite institutions and organizations it feels ironic that a lot of her characters who suffer ultimately get their lives were worth it because of money even if we both agree the world does listen to money over women.
Akorfa in my honest opinion never really learned to be more thoughtful of others interpersonally even if she’s truly not that bad a person and does develop over the book and I would say is actually her positive to people. But her never truly addressing trivial to serious problems her friends had with her was so funny.
Selasi deserved her complimentary comparison to Jesus :). My favorite girl/woman
Also I’ve been to Washington DC and Georgetown and lived in Pittsburgh and been to university of Pittsburgh and it was so much fun hearing those cities described and the library staircases I’ve also been to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Abortion, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Incest
dejoy_s's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
introvertsbookclub's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
I was so excited to pick up another novel from this author – and even more excited when I realised it was going to focus on friendship.
The novel follows cousins Akorfa and Selasi growing up in Ghana. Aforka’s parents are wealthy and committed to providing her with the very best education on her way to becoming a doctor. Selasi is not afforded the same privilege and is made to feel indebted to Akorfa’s family when they offer any help or support. The cousins’ experiences and memories of their childhood are entirely different, driving their friendship apart when they most need each other.
Akorfa’s perspective opens the novel, taking on an introductory tone that left me wondering when and how the novel was going to progress. But with the switch to Selasi’s perspective, the contradictions between the two took the novel in a new direction. In reflection, Akorfa’s privilege and entitlement afforded her an untroubled childhood which she assumed was merely an introduction preceding the charmed life she was going to live.
The susceptibility of childhood memories to misunderstanding and ignorance, coupled with their influence in adulthood, made it difficult to ‘side’ with either cousin. The conflict between their relatives and who was entitled to a share of the family wealth only complicated their relationship. Throughout the novel, trauma and pain were revealed as the cause for many of the female character’s actions, alongside a fear of the dependent and therefore precarious position their society put them in and the importance of reputation and public opinion. Where the novel excelled, was in coupling judgement and blame with understanding, and highlighting complicity side-by-side with harm.
Government corruption and societal failure in Ghana was contrasted with the same in America – embracing classism, wealth inequality and patriarchy. The novel portrayed a multitude or racist encounters and microaggressions, and then different responses to them, from calling them out and pushing back to staying silent and hoping that hard work and access to other kinds of privilege (education, wealth, respectability) will protect you. Again, the novel was understanding as to why it’s characters were responding in such different ways.
Despite their differences, Akorfa and Selasi’s relationship was the thread running through this novel and I loved the way it was prioritised, even if it was often painful. The ending was both satisfying and realistic, but I would still love to revisit these characters in a sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Racism
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