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A review by becmurr57
Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
An advance copy of a debut novel. Thank you Dial Press & Net Galley.
Solia is a girl raised in a fully female home in Kenya- it is her mother's home & her grandmother & her 3 aunts all live there. But Soila's mom rules the home, her sisters & of course Soila. They live a privileged life, and have a strong work ethic & own a family business. As Solia became an adolescent she knew this was not the life she wanted for her future. Her mother was overbearing, strongly opinionated & Solia felt no true love from her, no hugs, no tender moments.
Solia decides to apply to colleges in the US, unbeknownst to her mother & after much back & forth, her mother agrees to allow her to go to school in the states.
Once Solia gets the the US, finds her way at school & makes a few friends, we see struggles she has with being an African, vs what she sees or thinks of African Americans. She has never seen racism, doesn't grasp some of the issues that Black Americans have, especially young black men & people living in poverty.
She takes a job she doesn't like, can't share what her life is with her mom, has relationship issues. Most of Solia's struggles come from trying to please her mom- her mom wants total control- job, church, men, & as Solia gets older she gets hurt & angry with her mom.
There's relationships, friendships, guilt & some life events along the way.
Through it all, Soila tries to be the dutiful daughter, until she always can't.
I really felt for her- guilt placed on anyone is an awful thing.
I really enjoyed this book!
Solia is a girl raised in a fully female home in Kenya- it is her mother's home & her grandmother & her 3 aunts all live there. But Soila's mom rules the home, her sisters & of course Soila. They live a privileged life, and have a strong work ethic & own a family business. As Solia became an adolescent she knew this was not the life she wanted for her future. Her mother was overbearing, strongly opinionated & Solia felt no true love from her, no hugs, no tender moments.
Solia decides to apply to colleges in the US, unbeknownst to her mother & after much back & forth, her mother agrees to allow her to go to school in the states.
Once Solia gets the the US, finds her way at school & makes a few friends, we see struggles she has with being an African, vs what she sees or thinks of African Americans. She has never seen racism, doesn't grasp some of the issues that Black Americans have, especially young black men & people living in poverty.
She takes a job she doesn't like, can't share what her life is with her mom, has relationship issues. Most of Solia's struggles come from trying to please her mom- her mom wants total control- job, church, men, & as Solia gets older she gets hurt & angry with her mom.
There's relationships, friendships, guilt & some life events along the way.
Through it all, Soila tries to be the dutiful daughter, until she always can't.
I really felt for her- guilt placed on anyone is an awful thing.
I really enjoyed this book!