A review by alphareads
The Widow who Died with Flowers in Her Mouth by Obinna Udenwe

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This author has a voice. You can tell his writing apart from that of other authors. He has a gift for good titles—you can tell from the collection title. His openings are excellent and specific, too. They get you hooked. And for most of your reading, you will keep wondering how he comes up with such story ideas. I believe the “originality”—if I should say—of the individual stories is one of the things I like about this collection. 

However, I did not enjoy all of the stories, which is not news for a short story collection. You love some, skip over some and simply get lost in some. 

I loved the first story, “John 101 or The New Ridiculous Way to Commit Suicide and Be Famous”. Making it the first story was a strategic move because that was quite an introduction to the book. I still wonder how Udenwe came up with an idea like that. I enjoyed every bit of the narrative. 

“Obama Talorin Shop” was a weirdly interesting story. I enjoyed reading it. 

Coming in a close third would be “The Housekeeper”. I didn't expect the twist in that one. Again, quite an interesting story idea. 

“The Redemption of Father McGettrick” was also a good read. Personally, this is one of the stories in the collection that would have you wondering how the author got his ideas. Insanely weird stuff and I am a sucker for weird. 

Generally, I don’t see why you shouldn't give this book a chance. I recommend.