Stay with Me in Around the World in 80 Books

Oct 08, 2017 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: broken, oh-unlikeable-you, fiction, literary-schmiterary, r2017-in-2017, stayed-up-way-too-late

... what would be left of love without truth stretched beyond its limits, without those better versions of ourselves that we present as the only ones that exist?

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this. Based on the blurb, I thought it would be a sort of love story: they fall in love, get married, can't have a baby, he takes a second wife, and in her disgust she leaves him, but then they reconcile years later. Like that. But ohhh no. This is a story that breaks you.

The writing is intens

... what would be left of love without truth stretched beyond its limits, without those better versions of ourselves that we present as the only ones that exist?

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this. Based on the blurb, I thought it would be a sort of love story: they fall in love, get married, can't have a baby, he takes a second wife, and in her disgust she leaves him, but then they reconcile years later. Like that. But ohhh no. This is a story that breaks you.

The writing is intense, and I could NOT put it down, I had to know what had happened to these people, and what would happen next. This book brings all the feels. Content Warning: (view spoiler) I stayed up far too late reading (and it's been a while since a book could even keep me AWAKE at night, let alone make me WANT to stay up!!) When I finished, I felt like I'd been hit with a bus.

There is love in this story, but this is not a love story, this is a story of people coming completely undone.

Even the title broke me, when I got to the part where I understood its meaning. I won't spell it out here, I think it has more impact if it surprises you.

I thought it was interesting that Yejide and Akin both were clearly deluded, almost to the point of being unreliable narrators, and they were also kind of assholes to each other - Adebayo handled that skillfully.

This book is not without its problems, though. Some of the situations are rather improbable ((view spoiler)) Also, the varying POVs between Yejide and Akin did not have distinct voices, which is something that always bugs me. It didn't bug me A LOT here, since maybe a married couple deeply in love WOULD have the same voice? I don't know. It bugged me a little. And, finally, I didn't like the ending. (view spoiler) And, last night in the wee hours when I finished this, there were a few other things that bugged me, but I can't think of them now, so I guess they weren't that big... ...more

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Jun 18, 2021 Windy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: around-the-world

A compelling read of love and loss with the backdrop of political unrest. Characters that were both loveable and frustrating at the same time. I cried at the end.

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Nov 16, 2017 Kristen Iworsky rated it it was amazing

One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Heartbreaking.

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Aug 09, 2022 Nikki Morse rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was remarkable. It provided a window into so many compelling issues - Nigerian spirituality and superstition, polygamy, the sharing and hiding of information from our loved ones. I loved the main character in all of her complexity. It was sometimes hard to follow as it jumped around between times and characters, but I strongly recommend.

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