The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Menie

Some thoughts

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished this book but it was honestly a struggle. It's split in half telling the same story from two different characters'perspectives. I think it would have been better to structure it with a chapter for each maybe... The first 170ish pages were from an unlikable character. Also, on a sentence by sentence level I didn't enjoy the style. I hope this is the floor for my 16 book WP readathon.

I had similar views and I think it’s a structural flaw. The idea of telling a story (and a broken friendship) from two different viewpoints only really works if you feel sympathy for the first narrator only to have your views challenged when you see the same scenes from the other viewpoint. But here even in the first set I was in Selasi’s side so I did not need to read it all again.

I agree, going back through perspectives or at least having shorter amounts of time between characters would have been helpful. I think the author tried her best to not make the story too repetitive but it still felt that way. I did sympathize more with Akorfa than some seemed to, but she did wear on me by the end so by the time we got to Selasi's perspective I felt we didn't need to hear it all again either (though some revelations were important).
It wasn't a bad book, but not one that will remain wholly memorable to me.

Agree with you all. The book was too long. I concluded Akorta was spoiled and a mommy's girl about halfway through her part, and that her mother was not only Mrs. Lokko but a bit loco. Selasi was much more likeable.