The Waiting Room

by BOLATITO ADEBAYO

Nkechi, Yeni, and Tale all want the same children of their own. But with each passing year, their dreams turn into nightmares of a future they never anticipated. Infertility is the unwanted guest in their homes, mocking all their efforts and feeding on their misery.But these three women are fighters. They will not stop or back down – no power is too heavy and no strangeness too unacceptable in their quest.The Waiting Room is a place of unusual strength and courage.

Genres: Womens

324 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2020

Reviews

[Jess.bookrecs]

I’m very confused on what this is meant to be? Portraying Christian fiction with religious psychosis alongside the absence of any realistic conclusion?

Making women accept things like false preachers, abusive husbands, Barbaric traditions, cheating husbands, idol worshippers, “God does not like divorce” and then sprinkle in the “male children are the only price” propaganda here and I truly don’t understand what is the point of this

Was this meant to what? Strengthen someone’s faith?

Talk about “the waiting room” as if any of this women portrayed here actually participated in continuously seeking the face of God.

Sigh. Please don’t piss me off.

[♡Joan Vegas♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explores the lives of three couples in Lagos, Nigeria, as they struggle with infertility. It also touches on themes of infidelity, religious beliefs, family conflicts, and societal expectations.

I enjoyed reading about each couple and following their journeys as they navigated the challenges in their lives. The story highlights the difficulties faced by couples who are unable to have children for one reason or another, and it reinforces the importance of knowledge and understanding. Ignorance can be very harmful, and this book does a good job of shedding light on the realities of infertility.

One thing I took away from this story is that there is always hope, even in the most difficult situations thanks to science and technology 🙏 🙂

At less than 200 pages, this was a quick and engaging read. While reading, it felt like I was watching a Nollywood movie unfold on screen, which made the story even more relatable and enjoyable.

I'm glad I picked up this book and had the opportunity to read it 📖☺️.

[Okpara Amarachi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Domestic violence in this book is so casual and normalize .
I am not sure what this book message was , it was just all over the place it was not really criticizing the way society see barren woman or barrenness because it still went on perpetuating the same misconception the society has already cast ,from " spiritual husbands" to " Therapy being useless" to " All marriage problem are solved by the birth of a child" the list being endless.
It had not nothing nuance to say . This book reads like a book for primary school children where the book always end cheerfully but no real meaning and resolution

[Thatgirlilyreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce roman m'a profondément touchée. À travers les parcours de trois femmes, Bolatito Adebayo aborde un sujet dont on parle encore trop peu : l'infertilité et tout le poids social qui l'accompagne.

Nkechi, Yeni et Tale n'ont qu'un seul rêve : devenir mères. Mais entre les attentes de leur entourage, les pressions familiales, les traditions et les épreuves qu'elles traversent, leur désir d'enfant devient un véritable combat.

La plume est fluide, les personnages sont profondément humains et il est difficile de ne pas ressentir leurs joies, leurs peines et leurs espoirs. C'est une lecture qui pousse à faire preuve de plus d'empathie envers des réalités que l'on juge parfois trop vite

[joynora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great plot but rushed & confusing ending. The overarching messaging on the religious perspective was at times unclear

[bookish eni-olak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Off to a great start, showed a lot of promise but I wasn’t satisfied by the ending. Those women’s stories could have gone a couple of ways but I didn’t think ending in spirit husbands, religious psychosis or inferred baby factories was the way it was going to end. I assume the writer wanted to touch on what desperation can make waiting mothers do and the recent exposure of baby factories and miracle baby centers. I like the de stigmatization of IVF & CS as explored in the book.

[Reen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was off to a great start in describing the journey of women struggling to become mothers and what they go through however I feel like midway it veered from reality into a Nollywood movie so much so that it lost the plot and became entirely fictional.

I also wish there was a story for a woman who never got the chance to have children.It would have been nice to portray that it is possible to find happiness under those circumstances, too.

Great start,poor finish.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The waiting room focuses mainly on infertility issues from both the standpoint of men and women.
it narrates the struggles that couples face when plagued with infertility and are involuntarily plunged into ''the waiting room''.

[FemisArchive · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is centered around infertility issues & how the strain is typically placed on women in modern Nigerian society.

It was an okay book, nothing extremely tugging or captivating but good enough to get through without feeling extremely irritated or tired.

A lot of confusion but still okay!

[Grace Mahofa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read. I love how it explored the struggles of each woman. I do think there was some room for some character development. Also the ending seemed a bit rushed but i still enjoyed reading it.

[Tunde · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Sola Ayeni · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a reminder to take online recommendations with a grain of salt. Only reason it’s getting a star is because 0 is not an option.