Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

19 reviews

alicebodnar's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Slow start, really picks up about 150 pages in. Well worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Classism

jamesyouwere's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicide, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

crazytourists_books's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.5

A heartbreaking story, beautifully written. It could have been shorter, as it drags painfully at some points, bit it made my heart beat hard towards the end, and that's a kind of redemption. 
I have so many questions about what I just read... Is it an account of contemporary Nigeria? Do things like those described in the book happen in real life today? Or is it something that happened in the past? I was horrified and deeply saddened by what I read, about how it is to live in Nigeria, and I sure hope that the author exaggerated about things that don't happen anymore. Adébáyó also leaves something unanswered for us to answer as we please and a part of me likes that (not everything needs to be resolved) but another part is afraid that it's not answered because the resolution given wouldn't be one that I would like. 
(3.5 stars, because it was far too long)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

erebus53's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I went into this book not knowing anything about it. As a result I was about 9 hours in before I started seeing the point of the book. It really starts with slice of life things, and a broad cast of Nigerian characters, and it is difficult to see all the connections that will eventually be built. 

Amongst the main players are,
a woman who is a doctor who is being pressured by family to marry the man she has been dating,
his father who is a politician,
her mother who is trying to hold a family together,
the woman she buys her handmade dresses from,
a boy who works in the tailoring shop,
his family and their hopes and financial struggles that have been immense since his father was laid off by government funding cuts for schools.

These disparate characters seem to have little in common except locality. Each has their own history, drives and challenges. The pace is slow and half way through I was feeling a little lost when it came to understanding the significance of some things. Although frustrating, this is part of the point of the book. Without a big picture of what is going on, it is easy to ignore small things that contribute to a problem. This is a major theme of the story, but it takes a back seat to the unfolding interplay of characters.

As a backdrop we see a country that lives with shortage of medical and teaching staff (caused in part by the exodus of graduate students), and a divide between rich and poor that leaves those who are destitute or disabled begging on the streets. There is also some disability narrative with a mother who is terrified that her children will be Dyslexic, because she feels that her personal survival was only possible due to marrying a man with a good job.

Logical things happen but it still feels affronting. The last 5% of the book is a rollercoaster of tenseness and revelation, and emotional resonance that would only be possible with the time and love that the reader invests in the characters to this point. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes character driven stories, has a lot of patience, and an interest in Nigeria.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, and Alcohol

emzireads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship

nadia's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. Well, as much as you can enjoy a book on such tough subject matter. Set in modern-day Nigeria and covering themes of mental health, toxic relationships, abuse, corruption, death, grief, poverty and so much more, this is no easy read. It's been a while that I've read a book that is so purely 'sad' as it says on the (StoryGraph) tin!

Following on from Stay With Me, I remain a fan of Adébáyọ̀'s writing. I could tell I was reading the words of a skilful writer, and yet it was all so easily digestible. Nothing is overdone.

I can't decide how I felt about the change in pace towards the end of the book. On one hand I appreciated the switch-up; on the other, it felt a little rushed!

All in all, an incredibly worthwhile read, and I especially appreciated how the ending of the book accurately reflects the harsh realities of real life for a lot of people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

bibliophile_nemo's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting

mayy_y's review

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book started out slow. I was almost tempted to dnf it, but I’m happy i got to finish it. 
I love the way the stories of everyone ties together. 
This book is filled with a deep sadness unlike any other book I’ve read. I went into this blind, so I actually thought this was a romance book.  I had the shock of my life😭
But yeah, I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to the next book by the author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence

auteaandtales's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping

Minor: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism