Blessings is such a daring debut, ripe for its time. Ibeh’s writing is both beautiful and refreshing, offering vivid descriptions that transport me back to my boarding school days.
The author's portrayal of the setting felt so authentic; it was like reliving the past.
What stands out most is the author's ability to treat his characters with such humanity—there’s no bias, just a deep understanding of their complexities.
Blessings doesn’t scream for attention or try to be overly “political”, yet it carries the weight of its themes effortlessly. It harbours the dexterity of the issues discussed, the very delicateness of the coming-of-age of a queer boy in a society that isn’t ready for his kind of being.
It simply captures the truth about the struggles, the joys, and the heartbreak of being different in a world that demands conformity.
Blessings made me feel so much. It was sad. It was fun. It was brave. It was insightful. It was hope. It was understanding. It was respectful. It was delicate. It was romantic.
P.S.: I read this book months ago but couldn’t bring myself to review it until now. Maybe I needed more time to process it, or perhaps I felt that adding words to something so brilliant would somehow do a disservice to the art.
Book of the year from this side. 💪🏿 It is a winner!
