The Reader's Bar discussion

Please place your comments and questions about this book below.

Has anyone started reading this book yet? I just got my copy from the library today.

I am 2/3 of the way through and I am quite surprised by the twists and turns it is taking. I can't wait for everyone to finish so we can discuss.

Sunday night I started reading and made it to the end of chapter 1 when I lost interest. Not sure if it was me winding down after the weekend or if the book just did not interest me.
There are a lot of good reviews.

I just started today.

i'm with Carolyn. I finished this one last month. when i thought that this I'd figured everything out...NOPE. very interesting twists included.

about 1/3 through i started to lose a bit of interest, but i kept going and was so glad that i did. can't wait for you ladies to catch up too

I am just getting started but I can also tell that this is going to be an interesting one to discuss. I like the author's writing style. It seems like an easy read. What are your thoughts on the author's writing style?

i enjoyed the author's style. she didn't try to get too fancy with her wording and techniques. just told a great story

What are your first impressions of Yejide and Akin?

Lindor wrote: "i enjoyed the author's style. she didn't try to get too fancy with her wording and techniques. just told a great story"

I agree. She is a good storyteller.

Ingrid wrote: "I just started today."

Me too. What do you think so far?

MsG wrote: "Sunday night I started reading and made it to the end of chapter 1 when I lost interest. Not sure if it was me winding down after the weekend or if the book just did not interest me.
There are a lo..."

Is it getting any better?

I made it thru chapter 2. I enjoyed it a lot better. Yejide's thoughts are witty. The story reminds me of a book a read last year The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.

Denise wrote: "What are your first impressions of Yejide and Akin?"

I haven't read too far but the impression I get is Akin is quiet and aims to please his family and their traditions. Yejide seems to be the opposite-more modern and not as traditional or acceptance of the customs.

How far a long is everyone?

What are your thoughts on how far they were each willing to go to have a child?

MsG wrote: "Denise wrote: "What are your first impressions of Yejide and Akin?"

I haven't read too far but the impression I get is Akin is quiet and aims to please his family and their traditions. Yejide seem..."

I agree. Do you get the feeling that they genuinely love each other?

MsG wrote: "I made it thru chapter 2. I enjoyed it a lot better. Yejide's thoughts are witty. The story reminds me of a book a read last year The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives."

It does seem to have the same theme. Did you like this book?

i'm done, just waiting for you ladies. I thought that they really loved one another, although some of their behavior was questionable

Denise wrote: "MsG wrote: "I made it thru chapter 2. I enjoyed it a lot better. Yejide's thoughts are witty. The story reminds me of a book a read last year The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives."
..."

I enjoyed learning about the culture.

I took the book back before I finished. I'm not torn. I will follow the discussion.

MsG wrote: "I took the book back before I finished. I'm not torn. I will follow the discussion."

Really? You never ended up getting into the book?

Lindor wrote: "i'm done, just waiting for you ladies. I thought that they really loved one another, although some of their behavior was questionable"

I am also done. I thought that they loved each other but they had terrible communications skills.

What do you think of Yedije trip up the mountain? What do you think of how Yedije was viewed when she had a hard time having a child?

Msg: what part did you end with?

I thought that the trip up to the mountain was bizarre, but unfortunately believable. When folks are desperate, they will try and do anything. Folks in this country bankrupt themselves and end marriages over infertility. It's completely believable to me.
It's also not surprising to me about how she was viewed. Most people tend to blame the woman over these things.

Was anyone shocked at how Akin involved his brother in all of this? That was a plot twist that I didn't see coming. I really despised Akin as the plot was uncovered. Yejide would've loved him either way, yet he chose to let her be the one who was blamed for everything.

Denise wrote: "What are your thoughts on how far they were each willing to go to have a child?"

I know people that have gone to great lengths in our current environment but it's amazing to see the African "version" of that. Truly amazing.

Denise wrote: "What do you think of Yedije trip up the mountain? What do you think of how Yedije was viewed when she had a hard time having a child?"

It is terrible how she was ostracized by her own people. She had already been rejected by her stepmothers, blamed from her mother's death by her dad, and now to be seen as lacking by her husband's family wrecked her psyche. So at that point she was willing to do anything.

Lindor wrote: "Msg: what part did you end with?

I thought that the trip up to the mountain was bizarre, but unfortunately believable. When folks are desperate, they will try and do anything. Folks in this countr..."

Lindor wrote: "Msg: what part did you end with?

I thought that the trip up to the mountain was bizarre, but unfortunately believable. When folks are desperate, they will try and do anything. Folks in this countr..."

I know we as women like to blame everything on men, or almost everything, but in this case if he had only owned up to his issue, all of the issues would have been avoided. I think for all the love that Yejide had for him that is the one thing she couldn't get over, his betrayal and his lies, making her feel as though she was the problem.

I made it to the end of chapter 2. Had a chance to read Yejide's reaction to the introduction of Akin's 2nd wife.

Carolyn wrote: "Denise wrote: "What do you think of Yedije trip up the mountain? What do you think of how Yedije was viewed when she had a hard time having a child?"

It is terrible how she was ostracized by her o..."

You feel like women like to blame everything on men? I feel like the reverse of that is true (that there's always a way to blame a woman even for a man's poor behavior).

His betrayal went veryyyyy far. There were so many layers to it. I know that this is a fiction book, but I did kind of wonder if there were a sequel, if Yehide would've gotten back together with him.

What did you guys think of Yehide abandoning her daughter? I couldn't blame her after all that she'd been through

Lindor wrote: "Msg: what part did you end with?

I thought that the trip up to the mountain was bizarre, but unfortunately believable. When folks are desperate, they will try and do anything. Folks in this countr..."

Yes, I was surprised by this especially since that he knew his brother liked her. I thought that he would have explained the issue to her and they would have worked it out. Were you surprised by his reaction when he found them together?

Carolyn wrote: "Lindor wrote: "Msg: what part did you end with?

I thought that the trip up to the mountain was bizarre, but unfortunately believable. When folks are desperate, they will try and do anything. Folks..."

Yeah, I agree. That ultimately made her decide to leave.

Lindor wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "Denise wrote: "What do you think of Yedije trip up the mountain? What do you think of how Yedije was viewed when she had a hard time having a child?"

It is terrible how she was ost..."

Lindor wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "Denise wrote: "What do you think of Yedije trip up the mountain? What do you think of how Yedije was viewed when she had a hard time having a child?"

It is terrible how she was ost..."

That seemed to be the theme in this book. Since everyone seemed to think that it could only be Yedije fault why she couldn't have children and why they kept dying.

I understood why she left. She had been betrayed by her husband and could not bare another death of one of her children. I was surprised though that it had taken her so long to come back and see about her daughter.

Lindor wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "Denise wrote: "What do you think of Yedije trip up the mountain? What do you think of how Yedije was viewed when she had a hard time having a child?"

It is terrible how she was ost..."

Yeah, this book left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Do they mend their relationship? How does her daughter turn out? What did his family have to say about her return?

Were you surprised to find out that Akin married a second wife?

What was your impression of Iya Bolu?

Do you think what happened to Funmi was intentional?

I wasn't surprised that he married a second wife. He had to keep up the lie that Yejide was the source of the infertility.

To me, Iya Bolu was just a typical older generation woman. Take anyone in this country over the age of ~65 and they'll probably have some crazy beliefs to share with us as well. At a certain point I think that people's beliefs are hard coded in their head, and there's no logic that will convince them otherwise.

Yes, didn't Akin have a flashback and told of how what happened to Funmi was intentional? She'd figured out that he was the source of the infertility

Yeah, he did but I got the feeling that he just reacted to what she said. It wasn't something that he was planning to do.

What were your thoughts on the political climate in Nigeria and the characters' different views on what was going on?

What did you think of when the robbers came to their housing development?