I just squeaked in three books in July. I had a hard time getting back into reading this month after putting Olive Ketteridge in my Did Not Finish pile. I exasperated the issue by starting the month with the very long novel Americanah. Here’s my short review of each book I read last month.
Let’s start with Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I wanted to like this book. I kind of did enjoy it. The storyline was interesting. It’s about a young woman from Nigeria who moves to America to further her education and learns what it means to be Black in America. At the same time, her former boyfriend moves to the UK and has his own experiences as an immigrant Black man. Ultimately, the couple meets up again in Nigeria and we see if their love can endure their changes. See? Cool plot, right?
I had two issues with the book. One, it was about 200 pages too long. Two, I felt the book had a bit of an identity crisis. It was trying to be too much. It was a lecture on the America culture and what it means to be Black in America disguised as a novel. The female protagonist is a blogger, so many of her blog posts about American culture are included throughout the book. There were entire conversations added just to have characters debate and share hot political topics, not to advance the storyline or influence character development. I am totally fine with a lecture-based book. I would have read it. I just didn’t like the mixture of fiction and lecture.
Afterward, with a friend’s recommendation, I read Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner. I gave it four out of five stars. This book was more my speed. It was about two sisters who grew up in 1950s Detroit and how their lives diverge from their expectations. It was an interesting exploration of how two siblings who grew up in the same house can have such different life experiences and outcomes.
I ended the month with Emma Straub’s All Adults Here, which I gave five stars. It reminded me of the TV shows Parenthood or This Is Us in many ways, since it’s about family and their multiple dramas. The book is criticized for trying to tackle too many topics in one book, but that didn’t phase me. Like in real life, everyone has their own dramas, life experiences, and challenges that they are dealing with to reconcile their identity with their actions.
This month, I’m looking forward to reading Verity by Colleen Hoover. I have a bunch of library holds coming available soon too, so it’s stacking up to be a great August.
Reflect. Plan. Live. 