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anansi_tales's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
rionstorm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
kari_f's review against another edition
4.0
“I suppose it’s the way we are, humans that we are. Always finding it easier to make ourselves the victim in someone else’s tragedy. Though it is true, too, that sometimes it is hard to know to whom the tragedy really belongs.”
I have been struggling with how to write this review, because the book was so well written but is also something I have no intention of ever rereading. I wish I’d known going into it how deep the levels of trauma and tragedy would be so I could prepare myself a bit for it.
There is war, civic unrest, grief, abandonment, religious trauma, poverty, homophobia, sexism, ethnicism, hate crime, depression, repeated sexual assault, and more… and it’s heavy to handle it all. There were several times I had to put the book down because the content was too heavy to continue with it.
That all being said, there are stories in this book that needed to be told and the author told them beautifully. The writing was well done, and each heartbreak the protagonist endured was a heartbreak for the reader as well.
I have read several books set in Nigeria this year, and this one definitely had a setting and perspective they were different from anything I’ve previously read. It also led me to do some research on topics, events, and laws I didn’t really know much (or anything) about, and I always appreciate when a novels spurs me to learn more about the real world. So all in all, I’m glad I read it, but I won’t likely read it again in the future.
Graphic: Sexual assault and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
oliii_24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Hate crime, Sexism, Blood, and Car accident
amyvl93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This novel follows Ijeoma from her childhood and her loss of her father to her adulthood, where she attempts to balance her sexuality with what is expected of her by a society that sees homosexuality as an abomination. Okparanta has a really beautiful writing style, which make at times become overly lyrical, but does keep you hooked when you're reading the novel. The sense of place within the novel is also very powerful, from Ijeoma's childhood home to boarding school to her mother's shop that she sets up.
The experience of the LGBTQ population in Nigeria is something that I knew very little about, and this is a very good, if upsetting, light shone on their experience. I did feel that at times Okparanta's messaging was a little too on the nose, and we spend a lot of time looking at Bible passages. I'm also not sure if the non-linear timeline in the beginning of the novel quite worked, given we know from the blurb what the 'reveal' is.
On the whole, I'm glad that I got to read this novel.
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, and Religious bigotry
lindiwe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and War
midnightmarauder's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Under the Udala Trees tells the story of Ijeoma, a girl who lived in Nigeria during the Biafran war. After
Amina and Ijeoma are in love with each other, during a time where homosexuality was very looked down upon in Nigeria (and still is today). One night,
Ijeoma knows in her heart that she is a lesbian, but it isn't allowed by the citizens of Nigeria, nor her mother. So, she is led into years of self-hatred and loathing, wanting so desperately to be allowed to be who she is, but instead being forced to pretend to be something she isn't.
I found myself sympathizing deeply with Ijeoma. As a black lesbian myself, I know what it's like to be at war with yourself, being both so sure of your own feelings, yet conflicted about them, all at the same time. Just wanting to fit in and be like everyone else, but also struggling with it because you're not like everyone else, and not comforming should be allowed.
Chinelo Okparanta, the author, leaves an author's note about the current stance on which Nigeria has on homosexuality. They have criminalized it, and are listed as the second most religious country in the world. It makes me wonder how many more people like Ijeoma live in that country, forced to hide their love from the world.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and War
Moderate: Hate crime, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
emmagiverny's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Miscarriage and Grief
Minor: Rape and Sexism
loxeletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and War
Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Grief, and Murder
besnee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, and War