Wednesday, July 12, 2017

STAY WITH ME by Ayobami Adebayo















 
4/5

272 pages
  • Publisher: Knopf 
  • Pub Date 8.22.'17
  • Random House 
  • Nigerian Literature

Shortlisted for the prestigious Bailey's Prize 2017 and set in Nigeria

Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage--after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures--Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time--until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant. Which, finally, she does--but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay With Me asks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of family.

My view
This is Ayobamy Adebayo's first novel. I liked the writing, it flowed nicely. Where I found the novel not quite believable I subtracted the 5 it deserved for a 4. When I read a work taking place in a culture I am not particularly familiar with I try to remember our ways and believes might differ which is why I love translated works.
This novel takes place in Nigeria among upper middle class, University educated characters. For the story line to work a certain incident needs to happen, without giving anything away, could such happen? 
The main protagonist's Yejide, Akin and Dotun come across well rounded, believable characters, the writing is good, the chapters are easy to follow, taking place in the past and present. Each main character narrates his/her point of view throughout the chapters, very well done.
Even if part of the story line isn't quite believable, sickle cell disease is dealt with heart breaking accuracy, the author introduces this condition within the novel in a beautiful manner.
I liked this novel a lot...my view brings up an incident which in no way should stop anybody from reading  "STAY WITH ME "  

Highly recommend

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for this arc