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A review by serendipitysbooks
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is a lighthearted read featuring a lovable but flawed protagonist. Yinka is a 31 year old British woman of Nigerian descent whose family is putting pressure on her to marry. To get them off her back she commits to finding a boyfriend to accompany her to an upcoming wedding. But things do not go according to plan. She loses her job, fixates on the wrong man, and makes many questionable choices. But eventually she finds the courage to be true to herself, tell her family how their constant pressure makes her feel, seeks out a job she’s passionate about even if it is in a less prestigious field that her previous one, and maybe, just maybe, finds a guy who might be worth dating.
Despite its overall lighthearted tone this tackled some serious topics including the pressure on women to marry and the problems with family pressure, judgement and comparison in general. Racism and colourism were also tackled, as was the issue of whether people were obligated to be proud of their cultural heritage and what this might look like. This story gets high marks for depicting therapy as a normal part of emotional and mental well-being. I also liked that Yinka was a strong Christian, determined to retain her virginity until marriage, and that she was not interested in imposing her values on others or judging those who believed differently. Such characteristics seem out of the ordinary in contemporary fiction so I found it a refreshing point of difference. I loved the inclusion of an aromantic character, a nice balance to the pressure to marry message. I also liked the inclusion of text messages, post-it notes, computer search histories and planning charts with KPIs. They added a little fun but also provided a quick insight into Yinka’s mind.
Despite its overall lighthearted tone this tackled some serious topics including the pressure on women to marry and the problems with family pressure, judgement and comparison in general. Racism and colourism were also tackled, as was the issue of whether people were obligated to be proud of their cultural heritage and what this might look like. This story gets high marks for depicting therapy as a normal part of emotional and mental well-being. I also liked that Yinka was a strong Christian, determined to retain her virginity until marriage, and that she was not interested in imposing her values on others or judging those who believed differently. Such characteristics seem out of the ordinary in contemporary fiction so I found it a refreshing point of difference. I loved the inclusion of an aromantic character, a nice balance to the pressure to marry message. I also liked the inclusion of text messages, post-it notes, computer search histories and planning charts with KPIs. They added a little fun but also provided a quick insight into Yinka’s mind.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Body shaming, and Racism