A review by bookmarklark
And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu

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

4.0

This book was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I’m absolutely glad I gave it a shot.

As a preface, I don’t read romance a lot. I struggle to find interest in books where romance is the main focus, which is how this book seemed to be presented. Additionally, this was a heavier romance: our protagonists face violent and pervasive homophobia in their schools, their homes, and their country at large. Reading stories like this can be, emotionally, difficult. I do recommend to anybody interested in reading this book that they take care of themselves and reach out for support if they need it when dealing with these topics.

All that being said, here is my review in a nutshell: the first half was slow to me (which I entirely blame on romance not being my thing). The second half was the drop down the other side of the roller coaster.

Those last 100 pages just flew by. It is a delicate task, balancing dread and hope, and Ani Kayode Somtochukwu did a fantastic job in those final chapters. August and Segun’s character development felt utterly realistic and raw. Their relationship broke from the cliché path my romance-novice self expected in ways that read so real: in their conflicts, we see both sides, what they are struggling with, and we can both empathize and question each of them. Somtochukwu masterfully weaves together their personal experiences, lives, and outside forces in each beat of their stories separate and together. I just. Oof. Can’t gush enough without spoiling further. I do think August’s side was a bit more polished — we didn’t see as much of Segun’s side in those crucial ending moments of character change — but that may have been for the best. I think more Segun POV might have destroyed me. 

So, when I asked myself what I was struggling with while reading the first half, the concept that came to mind was “The Question.” When it comes down to it, most plots hinge on answering a question: will Frodo get the ring to Mordor, will the Crows succeed in their heist, etc. As tends to be for a romance, the main question in this book was “will they get/stay/be happy together?”

As I mentioned before, I’m not a huge romance reader. I don’t mind romance — I have even been known to enjoy a romance from time to time — but I would rather it be a side plot. I need more to keep me hooked. That’s the main reason I found the first half of the book to be slow. We get a lot of our two leads’ backstories, but these backstories were not setting up strong intermediary questions to keep us wondering until the main question could kick in. What they did do, however, is get us to empathize with the characters. These early chapters also set up themes that guided the overarching character development and plot, particularly on August’s part. I thought these paid off really well in the ending, landing in a way that was both inevitable and yet moving. The momentum in the end was fantastic.

Ultimately, what kept me reading in that first half was just how much I was learning. I was delighted to read about experiences so different from my own, and Somtochukwu does a great job of positioning us in August and Segun’s worlds.
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