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abbie_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC of Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh! There was a lot of good, excellent even, in this debut novel about a young queer boy in Nigeria, but I found myself questioning the decision to include certain POVs from Obiefuna’s mother. For me, these sections weren’t as strong as Obiefuna’s, in that the voice felt too similar.
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That said, Obiefuna’s story was a heartbreaker for sure, tenderly written. After his father witnesses an intimate moment between Obiefuna and the new apprentice, Obiefuna is sent away to seminary school. In this conservative environment, you can imagine it’s not easy for someone like Obiefuna to thrive and there are some difficult-to-stomach scenes. But Ibeh does a great job showing the hypocrisy of these places, of toxic masculinity being used to mask so-called ‘deviant’ desire. Obiefuna is driven to some terrible choices due to his time there, but Ibeh builds out his character so thoroughly that you have to empathise.
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I thought the story really hit its stride one Obiefuna leaves school and begins to form relationships with other queer people. It’s set in the 2010s, so covers the signing of the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. The effect on Obiefuna and his circle of queer friends is devastating, but there’s a glimmer of hope too. They go to ground, but refuse to give up who they are.
Interestingly I’ve seen other reviewers say they liked this section of the book the least, so I’m intrigued to see some more opinions once this book is released in a few days!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry
auteaandtales's review
emotional
sad
medium-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
4.5
A beautiful, soulful work of art. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel! The talent is outstanding.
It really tells two intertwined stories of the MC and his mother, in a very heartfelt and almost poetic way. They take us through the MC’s life in an emotional journey through the navigation of his life as a queer man living in Nigeria. There is so much love sprouting from the violence surrounding them, it was hard not to feel that carried with you even when the book was closed.
It was easy to read, as well, nothing felt like it was dragging and the pacing felt really well done. It was a little off towards the end but, saying that, it did match up to the emotional build up throughout the rest of the book.
I cannot wait to see what else this author produces in the future. This will stay with me for a long time, I think.
It really tells two intertwined stories of the MC and his mother, in a very heartfelt and almost poetic way. They take us through the MC’s life in an emotional journey through the navigation of his life as a queer man living in Nigeria. There is so much love sprouting from the violence surrounding them, it was hard not to feel that carried with you even when the book was closed.
It was easy to read, as well, nothing felt like it was dragging and the pacing felt really well done. It was a little off towards the end but, saying that, it did match up to the emotional build up throughout the rest of the book.
I cannot wait to see what else this author produces in the future. This will stay with me for a long time, I think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
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