A review by zedohee
The Days of Afrekete by Asali Solomon

4.0

Liselle sweats out her blandly curated life like a cheap blowout and I loved every second of it. Brilliant, biting and sharp—Shonda Rhimes mention? Oh you know I was cheesing—this novel was damn near everything I’ve been wanting to read, ever. It’s probably (definitely) too early to be adding to my end of year favourites but I will anyway, because this book is already #1. Asali Solomon pulled me in with her crisp, lush style; I want to do little snow angels between her deliciously direct lines of dialogue. There are no obvious, circular metaphors or overly described, so-precious-it’s-offputting-lines-of-purple-prose here, just wit. And confident, amused stylization, that had me smiling even when I really wanted to shake the characters sensible. Unlike books that show the characters compatibility though cliches, trite observations and generalized couple activities, Liselle and Selena’s experiences and conversations are unique and whole and just disrespectful enough, that at times, I almost felt like an intruder, for how real they were. Like a couple I could know and a couple I definitely wanted more of (that ending? Oh she got me).

Miss Solomon if you’re reading this please drop another one the streets (my block at least) are begging!