Slavery, kingship, courage, patriarchy, domestic violence, education, and love were some of the themes covered in this novel. This body of work displays Ayesha's rich knowledge and storytelling, and subtle humor.
Slavery, kingship, courage, patriarchy, domestic violence, education, and love were some of the themes covered in this novel. This body of work displays Ayesha's rich knowledge and storytelling, and subtle humor.
It was a light, easy, and mildly entertaining novel. The type of novel that you can read, be satisfied with and then absolutely forget mostly because it's not the kind of story that stays with you.
One thing that hit me in this book was how the minds of the black people living in the UK at that time were conditioned. It was like they were made to believe that they were lesser humans and that the white person was better than them.
Love, cheating, heartbreak, domestic violence, family, police brutality were some of the themes covered in this collection of short stories because this collection is infused with the magic of evocative storytelling you might be drawn to or haunted by a character or two.
A man sleeps with the maid and impregnates her, deceives the wife he claims to love, and this same wife, Ezi, is required to apologize to the husband because she has only a daughter for him while the maid has a son.
Why did I have to carry this shame like a second skin? And every day for a month after the incident, I would usually find myself whispering to myself, "I am ruined."
This book centers on contemporary issues like masculinity and the dangerous consequences of rage and improper decisions. It also touched on issues like barrenness and the perceived notion of women being second-class citizens.
I loved the use of flashbacks; it flowed with the storytelling and bought shocking insights into why Ayo is that way.
As an African woman, I have lived in shame, and shame has lived in me. I told myself I was keeping my virginity for my husband. I needed to be a virtuous woman to be appreciated, I did not know what virtue meant, and honestly, I still don't.
Niru is gay and cannot freely explore his queerness. Although he is in a country like America, the Africanness and religiosity in his parents would not let them support him. Rather they take him to pastors to pray the gay out of him.
We assume that people are either gay or lesbians, forgetting that the queer spectrum is broad and there are so many intersections. The rainbow has so many different colors, not just red and yellow.
It reminds me of a young man who once promised forever. He had been so consistent and intense in his promises of forever that I believed it, latched onto it, breathed it, and looked forward to it.
