Reviews

The Impatient by Djaïli Amadou Amal

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nixmand's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

The Impatient is a novel from Cameroon which explores the issues of polygamy and forced marriage through the experiences of three different women. The realities of not being permitted a choice in who you marry, in having your husband take another wife and being expected to welcome and train her, of arriving in a strange home and being subservient to and subject to the whims of a first wife who resents your presence, of having no rights or fallbacks if your husband becomes violent - all these and more are canvassed in this short but impactful story. The women resisted, fought back, and tried to gain agency, not always in admirable ways. But in a situation where they have no rights and no protections it is easy to see why they may have made the choices they did. A powerful read.

Content Warnings

year23's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

It’s hard to put into words the emotions this book evokes - rage, despair, hatred, agony. I had some notion of the practice of forced marriage and polygamy but this was one of the most raw portrayals of its damage and tyranny over women’s lives in this region (Camaroon). Your heart will break. I know these stories will stay with me for a long time.

But what stands out to me maybe most of all is this title, and it’s resonance in the way each woman chooses to fight back, to reclaim her self, her place, her choices. They are each impatient in a world determined to erase them with the command “Munyal”.

There’s so much to unpack in this short book - it’s so clearly an important text. I highly recommend though do check the content warnings.

Content Warnings

nikhilamw's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

justgraceanne's review

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5.0

This book, while under 200 pages, took me over a month to finish.
It's heart-wrenching.
There's no way this book is worth less than five stars, but you have to know what you're getting into if you read it.
Each woman's POV pulls the reader in, fully and completely. But with that comes depictions of domestic violence and abuse of all kinds (full content warning there).
Expertly crafted, but heart-breaking. That's all I can say.