Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

26 reviews

rei_reads's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, and Murder

Minor: Suicide

amberinpieces's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

bg_oseman_fan's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

This story reminded me a lot of Mistry’s A Fine Balance. I admired her ability to weave the characters stories and reveal so much through showing rather than telling. The tragedies felt earned but not inevitable and every word of the story felt like it described the situation perfectly. it was difficult to read at times because of the subjects, but all were handled very well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

jouljet's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, and Violence

fiberreader's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicide and Kidnapping

jamesyouwere's review against another edition

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

mel_s_bookshelf's review

emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, and Classism

Moderate: Suicide and Fire/Fire injury

kirstym25's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Child abuse

secre's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

A Spell of Good Things showcases the lives of two very different families in Nigeria. 

Eniola is a boy who looks like a man, but one stuck in a never ending cycle of poverty since his father lost his job. There's never enough money to buy food, pay rent and pay for his and his sister's school fees or apprenticeship. No matter how hard his mother tries, she just can't make ends meet. 

Wuraola is a young doctor from a wealthy family, exhausted and constantly under pressure at work, money is not an issue for her. She has her own problems though, her boyfriend Kunle is volatile and controlling, yet she's ignoring the red flags because of the societal pressure to be married. When Eniola discovers a way to make some easy money, he sets himself on a collision course with Wuraola's family; one that is doomed to end in tragedy.

This is a hard-hitting and thought provoking novel. It doesn't shy away from difficult and painful topics. The author puts a spotlight on the soul crushing reality of living in poverty. Of borrowing from Bill to pay Ben, but never knowing where the money to pay Bill back will come from. You can't help but feel for Eniola; forced to go to school by his parents because education is the most important thing, yet whipped every morning because his parent's have not paid the school fees. Adébáyọ̀ truly brings the plight of his family to life.

The wealth disparity is equally hard-hitting; Wuraola's family is as far apart from the poverty of Eniola's that it's jarring. Her narrative has it's own darkly powerful moments though, shining a light on domestic abuse and the reasons those emmeshed find to stay. There were moments where I genuinely wanted to scream at her. With both families getting involved in local politics but in very different ways, the collision course is set even if they don't know it yet.

All in all, this is a powerful and hard hitting novel. It's slow moving and Adébáyọ̀ spends a lot of time building up the characters and side characters. I quite appreciated this, it brought the lives of the individuals stark definition. It is also undeniably bleak at points; whilst there is humour, it can't hide the misery, poverty and abuses on display. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death of parent

Moderate: Child death and Suicide

itsawrapxx's review

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This was a somber read for me, but I still enjoyed it. The first half of the book left me wondering how it was all going to come together, and I thought it was a little slow. The book's second half is really the star. It took a day or two for me to process the ending and what I had read once it was all said and done. It touches on some big themes and does it so elegantly.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Suicide