Dear Junia

by Tomi Makanjuola

Wura is a young woman in her early twenties. Fed up with wallowing in apathy, she embarks on an epistolary journey that will change her life forever. Through her candid letters to the unborn Junia, she begins to confront the murky depths of her past. Why did her mother leave? What really caused her father to give up their home and life in Africa for the too-neat streets of England? The closer she gets to finding the answers to her questions, the more she is forced to face the dark reality of family secrets that have been suppressed for years.

190 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2013

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story really captivated me. Soon after beginning it, I found that this book was going to be one of those that are hard to put down. In fact, I finished it in just a few days.

Dear Junia tells the tale of a particularly eventful summer in the life of its narrator, Wura, as she relates it in a series of letters to her future daughter Junia. Wura's honesty, thoughtfulness and determination are inspiring, and as I got to know her through these letters I felt more and more as if she were a real person that I knew.

I don't want to give anything away so won't say any more, but I recommend this book and would love to see a sequel!

[Emma Radford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as a First Reads book. I enjoyed the idea of the letters to Junia and found Wura's story intriguing. The prose is fairly engaging and there is some lovely use of imagery. There were parts, however, when I felt the dialogue was not quite convincing and certain parts of the plot that I struggled a little bit to find credible. Overall, this was a fairly thoughtful read that especially makes you consider the bond between mother and child, and the nature of (unconditional) love.