Reviews

The Polygamist by Sue Nyathi

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"Love is not something you can apportion and put on a scale and weigh."
-Sue Nyathi

Whew! This is the kind of book that keeps you awake at night wanting to know how the story will play out.

The Polygamist is set in Zimbabwe and is written in the narrative of four women who, one way or another, all end up marrying (legally & illegally) the same man: Jonasi. Some knew about the other women while others found out yeaaaarrs later; thus, drama!

Wealth and indulgence plays a big role in this story. And in the end, most of the characters faced the consequences of their self-indulgence & selfishness. I feel like this book can open up healthy conversations on the way some men feel a sense of entitlement and ownership of the woman they've paid a dowry for. Jonasi often told his wives that they "belonged" to him and that he "owned" them; therefore, he could do to them as he pleased (which was painful to read).

armanirue's review

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4.0

I’ll give this book 4.5 stars! It was a quick interesting reading. This is the third book of Sue’s that I’ve read, perhaps I should’ve started with this one. What I can say is there’s a recurring theme of abuse, sexual violence and never ending trauma for her characters which makes it a bit sad to read the books but it also invokes emotion out of you.

It would be good to see less trauma being inflicted onto her characters in her upcoming projections otherwise it’s a bit too predictable but otherwise I really love her books!

amanda_nyanhongo's review

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2.0

The storyline is quite flat, predictable and overly dramatic. I know her other books were received quite well, so I have hope for them.

The language was pretty good but there was nothing else that I could say I enjoyed. There’s an attempt to showcase the extent of the economic collapse in Zimbabwe but it falls quite short. As we only catch glimpses of it throughout the book and not a coherent view.

I would sit this book out, it’s not much of a good read.

michelenwash's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

akona1's review

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5.0

This book was so entertaining! I laughed, I cried and occasionally got angry. Much respect to Sue Nyathi for her ability to tell a well-rounded story with characters that stay with you.