Reviews

God's Children are Little Broken Things: Stories by Arinze Ifeakandu

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erlipman's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

bobbieshiann's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I do not know where to start. Such beautifully written stories filled with an aching desire to love freely but still daring as each story explores the relationships between gay men in Nigeria. Each story is delicate, with the target of culture at its back as love, sexuality, family, and language are at its core. A remarkable debut that I will be thinking about for a long time and will eventually reread.

ayomiposia's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

neptunereads_'s review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

farosh's review against another edition

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3.5

the short story i enjoyed most definitely was what the singers say about love, i highlighted a lot of som's thoughts and fears, many of the conversations between kayode and som. even though i many things these main characters aren't, i could still relate to many of their emotions and experiences, which were described in such a painfully accurate and relatable way.

the story revolves around feminine som and manly kayode. som seems to be aligned with his sexual orientation. he is gay and it doesn't bother him, most people also see him as gay, he gets called names for it but he got kayode to stand up for him. he is used to it. on the other hand kayode, he is gay too but has traits that are seen as manly, people who see him don't automatically assume he is gay. he got many girls who are into him but to keep his manly, straight image up he plays along with them, kisses and sleeps with them because he is too scared to come out. the environment and career he is in doesn't allow him to present himself as gay, even his business friends say that coming out as gay is career suicide.

so open som and restricted kayode's values and wishes clash throughout the story until kayode sleeps with a girl on som's birthday because he is too scared to deny her and som ends the relationship in an attempt to feel some normalcy and a sense of his old self.

abbywilson's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

This was a subtle and gorgeous book giving insights to the many facets and feelings of the experience of being a queer person in Nigeria. While it is a collection of short stories, I think that this collection is best consumed and considered in totality, there is a building sense of hopelessness, of futility, but also of kinship and the ubiquity of queer experiences and queer love stories - they are not the white, clean “Love Simon’s” who get closure and acceptance for their queerness, which makes for a challenging and refreshing reading experience. The stories centre queer, mostly closeted men, and the conflicts they experience, the ways queer men are still marginalised in African communities. The mounting sense of desperation and hopelessness is undercut with love, connection and hopefulness for the future. Arinze Ifeakandu seamlessly incorporates Igbo and pidgin language, culture, food and country into his writing, as a white reader I felt welcomed into a culture that I otherwise have had little exposure to. The stories all have male protagonists and it would be interesting include representations of female queerness in this space, though I commend the author on this book. A valuable read!