A review by clairebartholomew549
A Season of Light by Julie Iromuanya

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

3.0

This book has a fascinating premise, but the execution is a bit of a letdown. A Nigerian family has settled in Orlando, but when over two hundred schoolgirls in Nigeria are kidnapped by terrorists, the patriarch of the family, Fidelis, experiences a PTSD resurgence-he fought in the Nigerian Civil War-and locks his 16-year-old daughter, Amara, in her bedroom indefinitely. Fidelis' younger sister, Ugochi, went missing during the civil war and was never found, and Fidelis believes history is repeating itself and he must protect his daughter.

This book has a lot of interesting and impactful things to say about generational trauma, cultural displacement, the insane, illogical, and interlocking systems of misogyny that impact both daughters and sons, and classism and racism and their reverberating effects. The family dynamics feel real and lived-in, and the characters are vivid. But this book just had way too many side-plots going on, and the emotional resolution wasn't there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books/Algonquin Young Readers for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
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