Scan barcode
teaandlibri's review against another edition
2.0
Very surprised at the high ratings for this book. Had never read the author's previous work ('Beasts of No Nation') but the high praise of the book plus the premise seemed intriguing. And as an idea to explore I thought the story was really great. But the execution is really weird.
Niru is a young man in Washington, DC who seems to have the entire life ahead of him. Track star at his high school, soon to be going off to Harvard, etc. so it all seems good. But he has a secret. He's queer, which is completely unacceptable and is horrifying to his conservative Nigerian parents. The consequences of Niru dealing with this will have a fallout that will reverberate forever for his family and friend, Meredith.
Initially the book seemed interesting and I thought Niru was an interesting fellow with a good "voice" telling his story. But I'm not a fan of Iweala's style. The story doesn't really go anywhere (perhaps as part of a coming of age story). There are no quotation marks. The story suddenly shifts perspectives that is driven by a plot development that requires the move.
I hate it when there are different narrators and that was no exception here. As others note, how Niru's story ends is all too common. Was this ending for him necessary? Is there a reason why we then see the story through Meredith's eyes? I could understand why Iweala would choose to end Niru's story so, but it seemed like a horribly abrupt decision that didn't work for the book, almost if the change may have been made in the editorial stage or the author changed his mind. I liked Meredith as a secondary character but I wished we could have stuck with Niru.
It wasn't for me. Also won't be checking out Iweala's 'Beasts' or other works. Recommend library if it interests you.
Niru is a young man in Washington, DC who seems to have the entire life ahead of him. Track star at his high school, soon to be going off to Harvard, etc. so it all seems good. But he has a secret. He's queer, which is completely unacceptable and is horrifying to his conservative Nigerian parents. The consequences of Niru dealing with this will have a fallout that will reverberate forever for his family and friend, Meredith.
Initially the book seemed interesting and I thought Niru was an interesting fellow with a good "voice" telling his story. But I'm not a fan of Iweala's style. The story doesn't really go anywhere (perhaps as part of a coming of age story). There are no quotation marks. The story suddenly shifts perspectives that is driven by a plot development that requires the move.
I hate it when there are different narrators and that was no exception here. As others note, how Niru's story ends is all too common. Was this ending for him necessary? Is there a reason why we then see the story through Meredith's eyes? I could understand why Iweala would choose to end Niru's story so, but it seemed like a horribly abrupt decision that didn't work for the book, almost if the change may have been made in the editorial stage or the author changed his mind. I liked Meredith as a secondary character but I wished we could have stuck with Niru.
It wasn't for me. Also won't be checking out Iweala's 'Beasts' or other works. Recommend library if it interests you.
robynthesmart's review against another edition
5.0
This story resonated with me and made me feel completely. Firstly the writing style is so refreshing- it jumps to different scenes pretty randomly but it’s never confusing; it just makes sense. Also, I liked how there weren’t any use of quotation marks, made the words flow better in my opinion. Overall the story connected with you and the way the author created the world in the book was unique.
japxican's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
ducksfloat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
Good listen. Emotional, sorta fell off at the end.
magentabyfive's review against another edition
3.0
I hate loved this book. I don’t know, still processing
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
ALL THE STARS and officially on my Best of 2018 list. Brief, searing and intensely readable, I must insist that every. single. one. of you read. this. book. I picked it up at lunch one day to try to at least get a start on it for the May @words.between.worlds (Instagram) discussion and finished it at 6 am the next day while walking the dogs. Because I couldn’t stop, even though I wanted the pain of the narrative to stop. If that makes sense?
(NOTE: this may be about teens but it is NOT a YA book. At all.)
(NOTE: this may be about teens but it is NOT a YA book. At all.)
jordan2282's review against another edition
This is a DNF for me. I should have read the reviews more closely bc the back of the book didn’t give me enough detail. The book heavily involved conversion therapy and it was too upsetting for me to continue to read. It’s well-written, but apparently I have limits.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
Thought provoking story about a high-schooler named Niru. Niru goes to a prestigious private school in the D.C. area and is headed to Harvard. He comes from a wealthy, ultra-religious, Nigerian family who are in great conflict because Niru believes that he might be gay. The author gives fair treatment to the subject matter. Oh, the family drama — it’s heart breaking.
hebrideanreader's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0