Scan barcode
A review by danapr
Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu
5.0
Soila has grown up in Kenya as the only child of a single, wealthy and powerful mother. Her mother is the oldest of five daughters and even though her own mother (Soila’s grandmother) is still alive, she is very much the family matriarch, very religious and rules with an iron fist. Soila’s dream is to attend university in the United States, something her mother is against. Her mother’s confidant and friend, Father Emmanuel intercedes on Soila’s behalf in a very sinister way and Soila is allowed to attend a university in New York City. The distance from her mother gives Soila a chance to experience a different life, make new friends and learn what it’s like to be black in America. However, even from a distance, Soila’s mother continues to direct her life and decisions around her career and relationships.
Wow! There’s a lot to unpack in this book! I don’t think I can begin to describe all the themes, issues and nuances and do it justice but I’ll get some thoughts down. I will say that the book moved slowly at times for me but the characters are well developed, giving it somewhat of a literary fiction vibe. The different cultures and ways to view racism is so thought provoking - the author does a great job of describing these issues and how complicated they are but I still feel like I need to roll them around in my brain. Soila’s struggles with understanding American racism vs. her African perspective is presented very well and is a concept that I hadn’t thought of. And the author’s example of white fragility involving Soila’s boyfriend, Aktenaken and her white friend, Molly is so spot on! I found myself becoming so frustrated with how Soila continued to allow her mother to influence all her decisions that I had to keep reminding myself that her Kenyan culture is something we Americans can’t fully understand. The characters of Atkenaten and Letitia are terrific - each with such different but rich perspectives on racism. Soila’s aunts can’t be overlooked - they each have terrific stories of their own. The inclusion of the 9-11 tragedy adds another complicated but compelling layer to the story. I haven’t even touched on the themes of sexual abuse, abortion and family secrets, all addressed skillfully but may be triggers for some readers. Soila’s devotion to her mother and Atkenaten’s devotion to Soila at the end of the book just made me love this book more! How did the author pack so much into a book that isn’t 1000 pages long?!What a great debut! Highly recommend!
#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishing
Wow! There’s a lot to unpack in this book! I don’t think I can begin to describe all the themes, issues and nuances and do it justice but I’ll get some thoughts down. I will say that the book moved slowly at times for me but the characters are well developed, giving it somewhat of a literary fiction vibe. The different cultures and ways to view racism is so thought provoking - the author does a great job of describing these issues and how complicated they are but I still feel like I need to roll them around in my brain. Soila’s struggles with understanding American racism vs. her African perspective is presented very well and is a concept that I hadn’t thought of. And the author’s example of white fragility involving Soila’s boyfriend, Aktenaken and her white friend, Molly is so spot on! I found myself becoming so frustrated with how Soila continued to allow her mother to influence all her decisions that I had to keep reminding myself that her Kenyan culture is something we Americans can’t fully understand. The characters of Atkenaten and Letitia are terrific - each with such different but rich perspectives on racism. Soila’s aunts can’t be overlooked - they each have terrific stories of their own. The inclusion of the 9-11 tragedy adds another complicated but compelling layer to the story. I haven’t even touched on the themes of sexual abuse, abortion and family secrets, all addressed skillfully but may be triggers for some readers. Soila’s devotion to her mother and Atkenaten’s devotion to Soila at the end of the book just made me love this book more! How did the author pack so much into a book that isn’t 1000 pages long?!What a great debut! Highly recommend!
#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishing