Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ - 4 stars!
The story follows two main characters living in Nigeria from very different backgrounds - Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. Because his father has lost his job, Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers, begging when he must, dreaming of a big future. Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of an ascendant politician. When a local politician takes an interest in Eniola and sudden violence shatters a family party, Wuraola and Eniola's lives become intertwined.
This is a beautifully written book but it did take me awhile to get involved or see where these two characters' paths would intersect. This is one of those novels that highlights the glaring divide between the haves and the have-nots, and how our destinies are entangled with where, when, and what families we are born into. It's difficult to read the struggles that Eniola faced - getting beaten in class because his parents couldn't pay tuition, the hunger and poverty, and the family loyalty that runs deep. But Wuraola's path is also hard - more familial expectations lead her down a path where she loses herself. An important read.
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