A review by bookedupandbusy
The Son of the House by Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia

4.0

Set in Nigeria, Nwabulu and Julie are kidnapped and decide to share their life stories with one another whilst tied up in a room together.

Quite simply, I loved this book. I didn’t really know what to expect, but ended up enjoying it. The book is told in three parts, Nwabulu’s story, Julie’s story and the ending. Both women are completely different in age, class and upbringing but I liked how the author was able to indirectly illustrate similarities between the two. Displaying themes of motherhood, shame, family expectations and what one will do for survival, this story was impactful and emotional, I literally had tears in my eyes reading one scene.

The story starts with a bang, Nwabulu’s story is fast paced and thrilling, however I did find the second half to be slow, yet more intriguing as it is filled with lies, deceit and unethical characters. I would have liked more context on the kidnappings as it was this that initially grabbed my attention but overall I really enjoyed this.