Blurry Lines

by Tayo Emmanuel

She’s a free spirit, he’s her brother-in-law; the pandemic is set to change the dynamics … Widowed single parent, Nathan Araba has always lived by social rules to keep his life in balance. But a family reunion is about to tip him to the edge when he gets stranded in London. Grief threw Nathan into Maria’s arms the first time. Now, she’s married to his brother and she has only Nathan to help her through her grief when coronavirus invaded the Araba’s household. Bound together in the lockdown, emotions start running amok. As Nathan tries to keep his family from falling apart, he is torn between embracing the love he needs or the rules he’s always lived by.

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2020

About the author

Tayo Emmanuel, grew up in Lagos where she was educated to Masters degree. Working mostly in financial services and banking, she has professional experience in Communications, Business Development, Brand Management and Business Analysis.

In 2011, she wrote her first book- Little Things of Eternal Value, a compilation of short stories and poems. Her first novel, A Bouquet of Dilemma was written in 2013 and her second novel, Echoes from the Past which was themed on forgiveness has been adapted into a movie titled Echoes and is waiting to be released. Her third novel, Blurry Lines, was an exposition of how people lived, lost and found love during the covid19 pandemic.

Tayo draws inspiration from real issues she witnesses in everyday lives to tell her stories. An incurable optimist and romantic, she is continually fascinated by the interplay and unpredictability of human relationships. She currently lives in London, works in banking and runs her long-suffering family. She is a passionate speaker on relationships and family-life matters and she can be constantly found meddling with people’s love affairs.
Her latest work Peace in the Abyss is set to tug at your heart and cause a stir.

Reviews

[Rachel Urban · Rating 3 out of 5]

[ **Possible spoilers ahead** ]
Tayo Emannuel's book is heartfelt and sensitive to values that we are re-learning in these difficult times: the importance of love, loss, family, and intimacy. These are found throughout the novel through Nathan's interactions with his friend and widowed sister-in-law Maria, the interesting Zoe, and especially his children. The most gripping and heart-felt passages are the ones where he connects with his children, where they learn (as well as the reader) a lesson - sometimes where Nathan is learning too.

In addition, we get glimpses at other important themes that have re-arisen in 2020 (not that they *ever went away): racism, cultural divides, and the assumptions we make about people. In a way, I wish they would have had a greater purpose in the novel. In fact, as I read, I expected it.

Though it was not the author's goal to have it be so, it seemed that if these latter themes were going to be brought up, they would have more of a detrimental role considering how Nathan reflects upon them. They just fell flat for me. There was a lot of potential in these areas to really create a more emotionally intense and deeper relationship between Nathan & Zoe if they had had an uneasier conversation about race and their cultural differences. In the end, little Nkechi points out that they really aren't that different anyway. :) Love manifests itself in mysterious ways no matter how much suffering one can endure and that is what Emmanuel wanted to get across.

Finally, as the book is self-published, there are a few grammatical missteps and spelling errors throughout the book. It may not be noticeable for most, but as a part-time editor, it was a bit confusing sometimes.

[Andrea Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are seeking something warm and fuzzy, Blurry Lines is what you need. This is a complete story of sorrow and joy during the pandemic in 2020. Tayo Emmanuel dedicates the book to survivors, key workers, citizens, and love. Yes, it features COVID-19 as the author manages to keep it in the background while focusing on the other unknowns.
Nathan Araba, a successful doctor based in Lagos, is guarded against romance, having lost his wife and left to bring up two children. He goes to London, to visit his younger brother David and wife, Maria, who had been his friend from University days. David gets a cough which seems minor until he is hospitalized and diagnosed with Coronavirus. David eventually dies.
Things take a dark turn in the Araba household as Nathan now has to stay behind with his two children to take care of David’s funeral, his wife and son, Bruno. Maria is emotionally distraught and withdrawn from the other family members, neglecting her pre-teenage son, Bruno, who is also hurting. It is this inner turmoil beclouding the entire Araba household that leads the story and the obvious sorrow is the conflict of the novel. Where does joy come in?
A pleasant distraction arrives in the form of Zoe, the next-door neighbor who is now the only adult Nathan can have meaningful conversations with during lockdown. The back garden becomes the playground for everyone except Maria. Zoe is White, young, vivacious, and playful; the opposite of Nathan. Although Zoe lifts his mood and gets on with the children, he rejects any idea of a relationship with her because of the obvious differences. Nathan is Black, middle-aged, conservative, and lives in Nigeria and he doesn’t believe in casual relationships. While seeking to douse her pain, Maria throws herself at Nathan in a moment of emotional connection and physical desire.
It is very easy to empathize with Nathan as a male protagonist, as the author reveals the depth of his feelings while he tries to shift from friend to brother-in-law with Maria and as he struggles with making decisions about the multiple challenges he faces: to be a loving parent to his children, a comforter and provider to the family his brother left behind, and an unlikely lover to Zoe.
This is not a cookie-cutter romance, but the conclusion is truly satisfying. Emmanuel does an outstanding job of focusing on the characters and not the pandemic. I particularly like the angle of the male protagonist, a departure from everyday romance fiction. The characters are well-developed and the story is fresh, inspiring, and highly emotional. It is filled with plenty moments of comic activities and intrigues.

[Trayan Hristov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think what impresses me about this book is how naturally everything seems to flow. Almost as if you could place yourself in the shoes of the characters and decide that most likely you'd take similar choices - then see their direct results. As a young man, I very much enjoyed tracking the story of Nathan, a strong, widowed father with two souls underneath his care. It is truly admirable all the sacrifices he has taken upon his shoulder. Tayo Emmanuel manages to take us on the journey of his personal development thoroughly. Without wanting to reveal the rest too much, there is a scene where a mismatch occurs between Bruno and Uzor which showcases how hard it could be on a child to lose their parent and accept a new person as a substitute. I, myself, was never able to accept another man as a father (past divorce) so being put in the shoes of a younger me was definitely an interesting journey too. The connection between Nkechi and Zoe is interesting, as she begins to accept her female figure much more and quicker than Maria, but as the story goes, real life does not always place the pieces where they best seem to fit at first, which I think is the key point of this novel. It is a journey a took for 2-3 days and completed dived in with losing a sense of reality, as the reality in this story seems way too real not to be considered such. Finally, it felt great to see how Nathan manages to let go of all his worries and transform from a conservative perfectionist to a person who is driven by resolve!

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we unwillingly transition into a new life surrounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, nothing felt relevant to read anymore. In the times that we live in, nothing feels relatable and relative to us. Even history seems fiction to me considering the state of the world now. Blurry lines reprezents the only lecture in a long time that fed my reading appetite and helped me set in a cozy mood, enjoying the book, while also comforting my mind reading about human typologies that deal with life, tragedies and challenges whilst being in a global pandemic.

Nathan, the main character, envisions all of us, fighting between morals and desires, and getting to know love in the most forbidden way. His responsibility towards family and unique chance of love as a single, widowed parent make his pathway and decisions very interesting to follow.

This is what I needed to read now, a book normalising anxiety, panic, fear, suffering and pain but also showing off the beautiful opportunities of life and striving through extremely challenging times. Amazing characters, amazing story, couldn’t let kindle down for a break.

[Iulia Parvu · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Blurry lines” is a contemporary novel which encompasses today’s problems and struggles; it develops at a slow pace, letting you get to know the characters gradually but fully. You will encounter multiple ideologies, from single parents’ internal and external battles, to finding and being able to recognize love, and to losing your sense of scope and meaning or even loved ones. The events occur all in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and these are situations in which many of us will have found ourselves in the past year. This book is about all of us, those who were and still are trapped in a Newton’s cradle that is still spinning, not knowing what lies ahead, and having to live each day as it comes. In essence it is a longer, more sophisticated and explanatory version of the “carpe diem!” aphorism which has an uplifting meaning commanding us to live here and now, as none can know what tomorrow holds in store.
An enjoyable read.

[Bisola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd keep my reviews short to avoid spoilers. 😀😀

Overall, the book was a great read! It did well in terms of elaboration and succinctness, and the plot was perfectly structured. It was a good read, and I would love to reread it maybe when I have to chance to... lol. I really felt for Maria a bit, but life circumstances are just what they are!

The storyline exposes the personal battles people go through every day. It was clear that the main characters made most of their decisions based on certain circumstances that would never have been a factor in their decision making, even though Nathan stuck to following his "rules". The pandemic had a very powerful effect on every home and dealing with loss at the same time only made it harder. But all in all, the characters were strong!

In the end, we can all say that Nathan did his best to keep his cool and remain strong for his family as he hand to unlearn some of his old ways. His grief was easily felt, even though not as much as Maria. I really felt for Maria. She messed up too, but who could blame her? I could easily feel her grief from just reading the book. Following her ups and downs, falls, perseverance and struggles of being a human in a family and single mum experiencing demise in these hard times just got me emotional.

But I'm glad Nathan stopped following his so-called "rules" and face the life he wanted all along.

I love this book!