Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

26 reviews

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

mayy_y's review against another edition

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

urfaveariesbby's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Kidnapping

Moderate: Suicide

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

introvertsbookclub's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This novel follows two characters who you grow to empathise with and root for equally. They come from very different backgrounds and classes but many of the difficulties that they face are similar. This story shows how interconnected different levels of society are, how easy it is to rise or fall, and how little separates people who may seem worlds apart; while at the same time, the people closest to you may understand you the least. The writing brings out the humanity in its characters and the decisions they face, and reveals the human cost of political failings and corruption.

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Content Warnings

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

bookswithnicolee's review

dark emotional informative reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail