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A review by shansbookspace
Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book was, in a word, breathtaking. if i wasn’t holding my breath moments before some incredible plot twist, i was gasping at the drama. it throws you into the unexpected.
i particularly enjoyed the discourse on the traditional expectations laid at women’s feet rather than men’s. how women are expected to remedy problems and carry the emotional welfare of whole families on their backs. what I didn’t expect was the perverted methods employed by one man in this story trying to fulfill familial & societal expectations. his response speaks volumes of how harmful patriarchal structures are, even to those purported to benefit from them.
i particularly enjoyed the discourse on the traditional expectations laid at women’s feet rather than men’s. how women are expected to remedy problems and carry the emotional welfare of whole families on their backs. what I didn’t expect was the perverted methods employed by one man in this story trying to fulfill familial & societal expectations. his response speaks volumes of how harmful patriarchal structures are, even to those purported to benefit from them.
so much happened in this story but my mind keeps returning to akin; his motivations, his desires & how far he was willing to go to achieve them. i’m overwhelmed by curiosity & unanswered questions. i was sad for yejide, the pain & stress she endured was unnerving but i wonder how different her life would’ve looked if she didn’t run into him many years before. if his family was different? would she have been happy?
incredibly written, incredibly told, pure spectacle & magic on pages. i cannot praise this book enough!