“…because a mother does not do what she wants, she does what is best for her child.”
Genre: Domestic Fiction
Pages: 260
Published: March 2, 2017
Rate: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Synopsis
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 Take
I still can’t believe it has taken me this long to read Stay With Me. I read this book in one sitting and felt so sad when I turned that last page.
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo follows along Yejide and Akin in their marriage. Beautifully written, Ayobami made me, as the reader, feel every single thing they were going through.
The book is heartbreaking and deals with a lot grief, so much so I had to take a few breaks because how can one person go through so much??
Each character in this book has distinctive personalities that made them memorable. I liked that. I loved Yejide so much but its Akin who took me through a roller-coaster of emotions.
Another thing I found to be a nice touch was the little stories/proverbs in between the chapters. It made for a nice read.
“Besides, 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?”
Ayobami Adebayo explores infertility, love and marriage so well, woven in what society expects of us, and how much tradition influences some of our choices. Not to mention the many plot twists. Stay With Me had me at the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down.
I literally have no bad thing to say about this book. Well written, great characters and an amazing story line. It deals with heavy topics but it doesn’t make it hard on the reader to get through. I loved everything about this book and I highly recommend it.
Have you read Stay With Me? What did you think about it?
This book had me sooo shoook!!
You and me both!