The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney

by Okechukwu Nzelu

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2020

'A magnificent novel, full of wit, warmth and tenderness' Andrew McMillan

'Smart, serious and entertaining' Bernardine Evaristo

How do you begin to find yourself when you only know half of who you are?

As Nnenna Maloney approaches womanhood she longs to connect with her Igbo-Nigerian culture. Her once close and tender relationship with her mother, Joanie, becomes strained as Nnenna begins to ask probing questions about her father, who Joanie refuses to discuss.

Nnenna is asking big questions of how to 'be' when she doesn't know the whole of who she is. Meanwhile, Joanie wonders how to love when she has never truly been loved. Their lives are filled with a cast of characters asking similar questions about identity and belonging whilst grappling with the often hilarious encounters of everyday Manchester.

Okechukwu Nzelu brings us a funny and heart-warming story that covers the expanse of race, gender, class, family and redemption, with a fresh and distinctive new voice. Perfect for fans of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams and Zadie Smith's White Teeth .

'Effortlessly capture[s] the tricky nuance of life, love, race, sexuality and familial relationships' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie

'Edifying and hilarious, The Private of Joys of Nnenna Maloney is a beautiful debut that you won't want to put down' Derek Owusu

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Nigeria, Queer, Coming Of Age, LGBT

329 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2019

About the author

Okechukwu Nzelu is a writer and teacher. He was born in Manchester in 1988, read English at Girton College, Cambridge and completed the Teach First programme. His work has been published in Agenda, PN Review, E-magazine and The Literateur and in 2013 his radio play Me and Alan was broadcast on Roundhouse Radio. His essay ‘Troubles with God’ was published in the anthology Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space (Trapeze, 2019). In 2015 he was the recipient of a New Writing North Award for The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, which is his debut novel. In 2020 The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize.

Reviews

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several things excited me about this book, the two main ones being:
a) the cover art is the best depiction of my hair I have ever seen AND IT LOOKS SO GOOD
b) obviously my name is Nina and not Nenna, but my grandad pronounced my name as Nenna so when I saw this and the hair and a mother called Jo living in Manchester, I had to get it!

The Private Joys of Nenna Maloney is the kind of novel I wish I’d had access to as a teenager. As someone who is mixed race and knows less about her black heritage than her white, I understood Nenna’s confusion and the urge she felt to “prove” her blackness. Growing up in an environment where you stick out like a sore thumb is difficult, especially when you are experiencing so many other changes like puberty, relationships, moving away from home, etc. Not knowing who you are and where you come from - things that many people take for granted - can be devastating. I could definitely sympathise with her character, and I feel like you would be able to empathise even if you haven’t been in a similar situation because Nenna’s character was written very well.

Joanie was also written well, although I thought her story - which is pivotal to the entire plot - wasn’t. It started out strong, and then suddenly we were rushing through her relationship with Maurice at breakneck speed and then end. I didn’t actually realise there was a plot twist because it was so anti-climatic - it was only when I had finished the novel and thought “huh, weird that we were never given an answer to the question that drives the plot” that I realised we had! I just hadn’t noticed because it was so bland! And that’s a big reason as to why this is a three star review rather than a five, alongside the side plots of Jonathan and Amit, Danny and Sam, which added nothing. I think that the words would have been better used to explore Joanie and Maurice’s relationship - instead, their stories felt like page fillers.

I realise this review seems largely negative, so I want to end this review by reiterating that I did enjoy this novel, and that I want to see more stories like this being published! I would also read the heck out of a sequel to this, because there is more that I want to know about Nenna Maloney. So if you’re reading this, I would definitely recommend this book - it’s not a work of art, but there is something special about it, and I am dying to see more.

[BookOfCinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny while deeply sobering! Cannot wait to see what Nzelu writes next!

In Okechukwu Nzelu’s debut novel The Private Joys of Nnena Maloney which will be out in February 2021 we are transported to Manchester where we meet a mother and daughter who are going through it. Nnena’s father is Nigerian but she has never met him and her white mother hardly ever invites questions about him. Nnenna wishes to learn more about her Igbo-Nigerian culture but every time she tries with her mother she breaks down in tears. Nnenna’s mother Joanie complies crossword puzzles for a newspaper and spends majority of her time raising Nnenna the best she can.

With Nnenna’s upcoming birthday she wants to find out more about her father. She is fluent in French but barely knows a word in Yoruba and she is constantly being ask to identify herself. Things between Joanie and Nnenna becomes strained and the once peaceful mother-daughter relationship is now tension filled.

I really enjoyed the world Nzelu created and I cannot wait to see what he writes next. I generally don’t do this but I find myself reading scenes from this book to my friends- that is how funny the book is. This book covers themes of mother-daughter, identity, coming of age, race and acceptance. I think Nzelu did such a great job of taking us into the world of a teenager who is about to enter adulthood. Nnenna is such a layered character and truly believable in her quest to find out more about herself.

Set in modern day Manchester this story is told from a cast of very interesting characters including Jonathon who went to Cambridge with Joanie and Maurice who is Nnenna’s dad. Through a series of flashbacks we get a look into Joanie and Maurice’s romance and what happened when she got pregnant. I particularly enjoyed hearing about Joanie and Maurice’s relationship dynamic.

I cannot get enough of mother-daughter relationships and this book offers a unique look into such a loaded theme. I really wish that Nzelu spoke more from Joanie’s point of view of what it is like raising a biracial child in modern day Manchester. This is where I felt the author missed an opportunity. I also felt the plot could have been just a little tighter with the focus more on Nnenna and her private joys.

This is such a promising debut that I know will be a favorite for readers once it is release in 2021. I definitely want to hear more from this author!

Thanks Dialogue Books UK for sending me an ARC.

[Char | · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this coming of age story.

Nnenna is a mixed race teen who has no real basis on who her father is, just that he has moved back to Nigeria. She is being raised by her mother, a white woman, who is standoffish when asked about Nnenna's dad.

I feel like there were good explorations to be had with this novel. There are talks of Christianity, and questioning beliefs; race; finding the right path; moving to new countries and that sense of not belonging. I just wish these were more deeply explored.

The story was told in present day, and also in flash back of the duration of her parents' relationship. I loved the flashback portions and the stilted nature in which her parents were able to communicate with each other, really highlighting their not knowing what they want in such a important time in their life - nearing the end of University.

I can see how the religion and belonging that her father struggled with, is something mirrored in her experience and I thought that was really well done.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney is a funny, fresh, and touching novel about a teenager growing up and wanting to know more about herself, whilst her mother learns how to share with her daughter the past she's been trying to ignore. Nnenna Maloney is nearly seventeen and lives in Manchester, where people are always wondering about Nnenna and her white mother Joanie. Nnenna wants to connect with her Nigerian heritage, but Joanie doesn't want to talk about the father Nnenna has never known, or deal with the fact that linguist Nnenna might want to study in Paris. And people around them are also probing their own identities, amidst the backdrop of Manchester and everyday life.

This is a novel brimming with sparkle, but also delving deep into questions of race, family, identity, sexuality, and class in a witty and tender way. Nnenna is a great teenage protagonist, torn between her love for her mother and her desire to go against what her mother wants to become her own person, and her and Joanie's relationship is carefully crafted to capture their closeness but also the ways in which Joanie can't quite understand what Nnenna faces due to race and also how her anxiety relates to this. The supporting characters are memorable, from the mental health and dating struggles of a gay black man to the hints of a burgeoning relationship on the edges of Nnenna's friendship group, and the characters are tied together nicely as the plot moves forward.

Heartwarming and hard-hitting, this is a novel you can really get invested in, that looks at how people's identity changes at formative times in their life. It is refreshing to have a novel set in Manchester that looks at how real people live and captures the ups and downs of growing up.

[what.heather.loves · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Being black can be hard sometimes, and it can be harder if you're a woman. Harder still, if you have an active imagination-slash-undiagnosed anxiety disorder and a high proportion of white people in your life. If the actual racism doesn't get you, the worrying will: not merely what did happen, but what might happen. Because who knows what people are thinking?"

Mixed race Nnenna Maloney, nearly 17 years old, feels confused and isolated, questioning her origins, growing up in Manchester with white friends, a white single mum, Joanie, and an absent black father, Maurice. Nnenna and Joanie have always been close, but are struggling to relate when Nnenna wants to learn more about her Nigerian father, his culture and his Igbo language. It all reminds Joanie of Maurice's absence in their life. As Nnenna wants more from her life, Joanie learns to adapt.

The narrative switches been Nnenna, Joanie and Jonathan (a gay friend of Joanie's and Maurice's) in Manchester on 2009-10 and Maurice, Joanie in 1992 in Cambridge, where they attended university. Maurice's Christianity, how he and hapless Jonathan met, is a struggle for Joanie, who unexpectedly finds herself pregnant with Nnenna.

This coming-of-age story has something for everyone and covers ingrained racism and religion and familial and romantic love tested and lost, with observations about how characters behave, some sad some witty. The subplots of other characters, including Nnenna's hopeless boyfriend Danny and Jonathan's love life, are diverting. It felt skilfully written, focusing on emotions and experiences, allowing the reader to empathise and understand. There could definitely be more adventures for Nnenna, Joanie and Jonathan, maybe Maurice too. This is a beautiful, funny and warm debut novel.

[tolu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It was an easy read which I throughly enjoyed. Nnenna’s struggles and anxieties over being ‘black enough’ felt familiar. It was interesting to see the dynamic between a white parent and black child but I struggled to like Joanie, her mother, at times I found her extremely selfish (but maybe that was the point). I liked how the book dealt with race, sexuality and religion but I felt that it only brushed the surface - it felt incomplete? I think my younger self might have enjoyed this book more.

[Philisiwe Twijnstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read a book and you forget you are actually reading but listening to a conversation. This book sent me through to certain emotions, I had thought I had escaped... I was not sure about the title. But then I realized ‘ you know how all of a sudden, the person you are closed too is suddenly happy and joyful and you have no idea what you did to make them feel that way. And it turns out it was someone else doing. I think with Nnenna and the relationship she has with her mother is fueled by the experiences that are private and unknown to her... (Hopefully that makes sense.☺️) Anyway I really enjoyed indulging to #theprivatejoysofnnennamaloney It explores on themes such as race, sexuality, religion. The writing is really good, the proses captivated me. The story unfolds and flits through different characters and their point of view. But it really does not focus on Nnenna which I thought it would, I know more about her mother mother than Nnenna. (Might be that the author began focusing on threads of Nnenna and moved away from her journey and for us to know Nnenna as a full fledged character was by understanding her relationship threads.) 🤔 I understood her quest, her need, the depth of discovering oneself. Characters that grapple with life and love issues. The book felt complex, also the switching of viewpoints can throw one off, the quest from each character holds the story. Nzelu has a fantastic satisfying subtleness. Which I devoured.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book's title quite misleading. It suggests that the primary focus of the book will be on Nnenna when the book flits between different characters' points of view and might even focus most on Joanie Maloney, Nnenna's mother, the most. In fact Nnenna's character is quite shell-like. I wouldn't say I know a huge deal about her after having read the book.
I also found the opening chapter very much at odds with the title and it nearly put me off.
There were some interesting/well-written passages but overall I think this book had a strong concept which didn't quite deliver.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good, character-driven coming of age story with a balance of humor and sadness. Nzelu has a nice dry wit when he wants to use it, as in this description of NNnenna's school lunch (which has its own melancholy undertone):

"Nnenna had seen many things on her tray—most of which could be identified without an autopsy—but never once had she come across solid peas. And yet the mushy peas provided weren't mushy in the traditional sense—not the vivid green, life-giving mushy peas you get from a fish and chips shop. No, these looked like normal peas that had been stepped on. Downtrodden. Defeated. If you thought about it they were not so much 'mushed' as 'smushed.' Crushed. As those the whole kitchen staff had had high hopes for them to come out whole, but somehow life got in the way."

There are also a lot of outright sad things that happen in the story, and Nzelu handles them well. His treatment of Joanie, NNenna's mother, is especially good. He manages to convey that Joanie has done some hurtful things, while showing the reasons for them; not letting her off the hook, but also not implying that she's beyond forgiveness.

[iina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read yet not ultra light book, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney* tells the story of Nnenna, a daughter of an English mother and a Nigerian father. It is not, however, entirely focused on Nnenna, as she, her mother Joanie, and Joanie’s friend Jonathan share the narrative. Occasionally, others dip in, too, with varying success.

I enjoyed reading this book, found it fun to breeze through as it is written in a smooth language that takes you through issues of race, class and belonging (as well as teenage problems) without you even noticing it; it’s all natural, and belongs in the narrative of the novel. It combines two timelines and places: 2009, when Nnenna is 16 in Manchester, and the Cambridge of the early 1990s, where her parents meet, and most of the time these two work well alongside each other.

I do feel like more focus should’ve been on Nnenna and her mother, instead of the other characters (especially towards the end, where I sometimes got confused as the pace got faster and faster), but this is still a refreshing book I can recommend to pretty much anyone.

*Copy sent to me by the publisher, Dialogue Books, all thoughts & opinions my own.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve not actually finished this book but I’m done with it at page 238. Picked up in library and recommended by Candice Carty-Williams but this book does nothing for me, sadly, as I don’t care about any of the characters. By page 238 I care so little I’m happy to let them go. None of them are nicely developed, all of them are misunderstood victims, and (almost) all of them don’t recognise their privilege. When the worst thing that can happen to you is that you can’t go on expensive holidays like your school friends because your parents are shop owners and you don’t know where StTropez is, I’ve had it. I’m sure I’ll be missing the twist but it’s like an episode of friends where each friend is defined by a single protected characteristic. Enough.

[Adanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

three was generous. It just wasn’t what it said what it’d be about which was annoying. Focused on too many characters and left nnenna the character I was most interested in woefully underdeveloped. So disappointed

[Aga · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* Debut novel by Okechukwu Nzelu given to me by @agawala (thank you)!. It is a heart warming story about single mother Joanie and her daughter Nnenna. Nnena is about to enter adulthood and begins to ask big questions about who she is, she wants answers from her mother which puts strain on their relationship. Nnenna’s father is Igbo-Nigerian and she never met him which in Nnenna’s eyes makes it impossible to know herself without knowing her whole story. Joanie on the other hand struggles to talk about past; she brought up Nnenna on her own and finds it difficult to let Nnenna go….to let her become her own woman. Nzelu also brings other characters into the book but I found them unnecessary; and it wasn’t about the characters and their stories (which are significant e.g. Jonathan struggling with his identity, mental health issues and loneliness); it was more about how Nzelu wrote those stories. If he executed it better they could have been a very good background to Joanie and Nnenna’s tale. Unfortunately, for me they were not well written and fragmented the book for me. Most importantly though, there are a lot of nuanced themes in this book: mother-daughter love, race, sex, religion, coming of age, social backgrounds, identity. Worth reading in my opinion.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Scorrevole, piacevole, divertente. Un´ottimo libro per uscire dal blocco del lettore (o dopo aver letto qualcosa di piu´ ¨pesante¨) che pero´ ti permette di riflettere su temi che personalmente non ho incontrato molto spesso in letteratura (certemente anche per colpa mia), come per esempio il rapporto che ci puo´ essere tra una figlia ¨mixed race¨ e la sua unica figura genitoriale, la madre, bianca, che ho trovato molto reale e fresco (passatemi il termine) senza mai cadere in soporifera e noiosa retorica. Tutti i protagonisti avevano dei background realistici, ognuno di essi legato a traumi differenti che arricchivano la trama senza far perdere il focus sulla storyline principale. Ho trovato anche la due differenti timeline efficaci.

[Bookwormandtheatremouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute joy! I will be recommending this to everyone - a beautiful story about identity, finding your identity and where you belong. Beautiful

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the message behind this book but I think it was just dragged out for too long. I couldn’t really get into it and I don’t know if that’s because I’m too excited to start reading Normal People or if it really just wasn’t that engaging

[Aisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t usually do comics but this sounds really amazing
- it isn’t a comic I don’t know where I got the idea but yooooo this book was excellent, the writing was superb and the quiet humour throughout this book was so fun/ny. Definitely recommend!!!!!

[Between2books_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gift to me from Ayesha, this one was a bit of a roller-coaster ride for me. I liked this book, then I didn't...then I got into and liked it again (finished within a few days)...then I got to the end of the book, and didn't like it again so much. Let me explain why...

There was so much that was good about this book: a young mixed-race girl, Nnenna Maloney, trying to do the thing that we all do at 16, figure out who we are. This is made so much harder because Nnenna doesn't know her Nigerian father (Maurice) and struggles to understand and learn about this aspect of herself. This becomes a major point of tension between her and her white-British mother, (Joanie). I thought the love story, between Joanie and Maurice, told through flashbacks to the past, had the potential to be very beautiful but at times it felt rushed. This was my issue with the other sub-plots of the story, particularly at the end where the problems of Nnenna's friends and boyfriend are briefly glimpsed, and although interesting, not fully explored in a way that made including them worthwhile. This also goes for the main climax of the story which I felt needed more hinting at from the beginning. In the end, when I got the answer that I had been searching for throughout the whole book, I was mildly surprised. Not so much because of the plot twist but because the issue hadn't been introduced enough to me.

Although this sounds a bit negative please don't let me put you off reading this book! I loved Nzelu's exploration of relationships and dynamics, particularly that between mother and daughter at a pivotal point in their relationship. The exploration of sexuality, religion, and identity was very effective and woven well into the story.

Perfect Reading Conditions - my link text

Okechukwu Nzelu

The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney

[Iqra Ikram · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my goodness. I have just seen that this has taken me A MONTH TO READ. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDIKULUS. I do not believe a book has ever taken me that long to read. Suffice it to say it isn’t my favourite.

Every book written by a person of colour I want to give five stars. However, one cannot jeopardise the integrity of one’s reviews. 2.5⭐️’s

The beginning of the book, was actually engaging I was actually interested, however it was just far too long, slow, and predictable. Absolutely nothing surprised me nor enticed me. Despite this, the portrayal of racism and classism, incredibly portrayed. Explicit but implicit, and thence a very accurate depiction of the real world.

One of my best friends Ali gave me this book to read. I have it full of annotations and notes, I do not want to give it back :) c

[Rebecc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous funny novel; a runner up in the 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize which deals with a multitude of modern conundrums facing mixed race children & their families & friends in the 21st century, but presented in a very accessible manner. I loved Nnenna & her mum Joanie (doing her best in tricky circumstances, but blind to the some of the struggles of her daughter). The supporting cast of characters are fascinating particularly the early chapters featuring the bible group & Jonathan especially trying to reconcile his beliefs with his sexuality. Personally I would like to have heard more from Maurice, but I can understand why he is absent from most of the novel.

Brilliant writing from Nzelu & another author to place on my watch list.

[viv · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this debut by Okechukwu Nzela, and loved the stories told by Nnenna, Joanie and Jonathan, although heart breaking at points. Not quite 5 stars as agree with other reviews re the ending not matching up to the strong start of this book.

Very excited to read more of his work!

[Izzy Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title is a little misleading but I loved the themes it explores about sexuality, race and mental health - it's a nice combination of stark and gentle. Sometimes the change in timelines and character focus made it hard to follow, though, and I was frustrated I didn't get all the info i wanted, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Received from my uni in the post as a welcome gift the summer before term started. Looking forward to meeting the author and hearing his thoughts at the signing event with uni :)

[Jthbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I loved this book. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, but I absolutely flew through it because I didn’t want to put it down. In The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney we follow Nnenna as prepares to finish school, go to university and we see the strain in has on her relationship with her mother Joanie. Their relationship is the main focus of the book and its handled so delicately by Okechukwu. There’s lightness and you can feel the tension building. It’s also a coming of age book, with Nnenna wanting to find out more about her father and her heritage. You can feel Nnenna’s longing and confusion. It’s really beautiful when she begins to discover who she is. I loved it. There are so many characters in ‘The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney’ and they are all absolutely fantastic. They are so real. I just found myself absolutely endeared to all of them. I have to give a special shoutout to Jonathon. His story was incredible. I found this so emotional and so relatable. They are all so relatable because they’re written so beautifully and honestly. I loved how they all connected. Okechukwu knows how to craft characters. This book has a lot of charm to it. I thinks it’s down to Okechukwu’s writing. It has these incredibly light and witty moments of Joanne and Nnenna playing games, or Joanie talking about every day moments, then it subtly shifts to much more meaningful, deeper and harder issues like the racism in the UK, or tension between Nnenna and Joanie. It’s just handled with dignity, honesty and grace. It’s a real highlight of the book. I also have give a shoutout to a section of this book towards the end between to characters Amir and Daniel. It was handled perfectly. It was really beautiful. Okechukwu said so little but it said so much. I will never forget that powerful bit of writing. I don’t know if you can tell from this review but I’m a huge fan of Okechukwu Nzelu’s writing. I can’t recommend this book to you enough. Please check it out. Thank you to Dialogue Books for my copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. It’s out now.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book - but felt it didn't live up to its' early promise. It is a debut novel from Okechukwu Nzelu and revolves around the title character Nnenna Maloney. Ethnicity, gender and identity are its driving forces and I did enjoy it. It starts off brilliantly, drawing the reader expertly in and from the start, Nnenna is an enchanting heroine. It uses a strong parallel narrative structure too with good affect - with Nnenna's story in 2009/2010 being easily juxtaposed with the story of her Mum - Joanie, who studied at Cambridge University in the early 1990's. At the start, the transitions are seamless between past and present: the story well paced and intriguing. Joanie also meets an old university friend - Jonathan - and he is also particularly well drawn, with Nnenna and Jonathan being the stand out interesting characters who connect with the reader and are well nuanced and intuitively cast.

However, for me - the novel slightly lost its crispness and sense of purpose. There are too many extra characters (such as Danny, Amit, Steph, Sam and Hannah) and their minor stories distract from the main narrative. I was so interested in Nnenna, and the problems her friends experienced and their stories just seemed superfluous somehow which was a shame. Also, the relationship between Joanie and Maurice starts of being very authentic and well drawn, but in the latter stages of the novel the pace changes and the trajectory of their connection changes from slow and steady to break-neck speed and for me - subtleties were lost. There was also lots of unattributed dialogue, and at times I was unsure who was talking and the story was overly complex and became very confusing.

Hence the three stars! Did enjoy it though - it is well written and perceptive with some very sensitive and touching moments - just doesn't entirely deliver for me.

[Obinna Tony-Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.3/5)

When I posted that I was starting to read this book, a friend said that he didn't enjoy it. Well, I thought that since the author is an LGBTQ+ man, I would enjoy it. I think it had started well with something that seemed like a flashback before we began to get into Nnenna and her mother's life.

But when the book began fully, I found out it wasn't for me. Nothing was interesting about this book as the hook point. The scenes were scattered. Going through the girl's life, her mum's life and some characters I figured were queer. Then, one of them married Nnenna's mother if I am not mistaken. In a nutshell, I didn't understand what the book is about and what it was meant to achieve. I got the theme of queer, religion, racism etc.

The author is just an author who writes well. But there is no feeling of poetry or flowery flow of the language. Just an author who understands how to use words to structure prose, then kept it moving throughout the whole scene.

I am rating this book a bit higher because of a bit of LGBTQ+ theme, then I thought the final parts were better than the whole book, even though the beginning did some good job.

But in a short form, I would say that it's a book that tried to do much. The author could have focused on the mother or daughter or done them sequentially instead of moving us here and there and everything came out jumbled.

I will recommend it to anyone who can get into it, but how will I know?

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a kind-of “coming of age” story, but also includes the adults in the book learning to live with themselves and deal with their pasts. It’s a story about identity, family and friendship. The pain in Jonathan’s life in particular is drawn clearly and honestly. There’s a tidy, happy ending which makes the book an overall hopeful read.

[Sym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nnenna Maloney is a 17 year old girl seeking answers about life, her father, and her future. Her single mother Joanie hasn't told Nnenna anything about her father. And the book switches back and forth between her parents love story from meeting at Cambridge University to the present day. There are two main themes running through this book; identity and sexuality (told in the sub-plots of Joanie's university friend Jonathan, and Nnenna's school friends).

There's a lot going on and I struggled with the authenticity of some of the characters as well as the references to faith (e.g. actual quotations from the Bible at the beginning of chapters) which I didn't think added a lot to the story. The mother and daughter relationship anchors the book, but I didn't believe Joanie and Maurice's love story or the struggles characters have with their faith. I thought the dialogue between Nnenna and her friends and their concerns were believable. Although this is well-written and pleasurable to read, for me too much is left unresolved which I found frustrating.

[Hannah C · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just a perspective on “everyday Manchester”. The narrative is very bland, there are a few too many characters to fully relate to any, and the book reads almost in a list (particularly the ending). Perhaps I didn’t enjoy this book as I can’t relate to any of the racial and cultural issues that this book presents though it was interesting to read. It was a relatively mindless book and I found I skipped over pages that weren’t interesting and could still follow the story. Wouldn’t read again and probably wouldn’t recommend.

[Zac Copeland-Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a book!

Nzelu captures exactly what it means to be a young person trying to grapple with a lot of the big complicated questions in life in a incredibly intelligent and sensitive manner while also shedding light on stories that really need telling.

The novel's diverse collection of characters are instantly likeable and reading this book is to have a genuine connection and empathy with their stories.

[Dami · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, beautifully written. This is a book about identity that captures through diverse characters and circumstances how lonely it can be to have no firm identity or to attach your identity to something that isn't permanent. It was refreshing to read and I look forward to reading everything from this author going forward!