Date Read: April 13th 2024
Published: February 2024
Publisher: Masobe Books
Pages: 250
The Blurb
‘Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s writing has a certain delicacy to it, so wonderfully observant, and so beautiful’ – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
When Obiefuna’s father witnesses an intimate moment between his teenage son and the family’s apprentice, newly arrived from the nearby village, he banishes Obiefuna to a Christian boarding school marked by strict hierarchy and routine, devastating violence. Utterly alienated from the people he loves, Obiefuna begins a journey of self-discovery and blossoming desire, while his mother Uzoamaka grapples to hold onto her favorite son, her truest friend.
Interweaving the perspectives of Obiefuna and his mother Uzoamaka, as they reach towards a future that will hold them both, Blessings is an elegant and exquisitely moving story of love and loneliness. Asking how we can live freely when politics reaches into our hearts and lives, as well as deep into our consciousness, it is a stunning, searing debut.
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Review – ★★★★ (4 stars)
My chest. My heart!
Just as much as my heart raced while reading Blessings, Ibeh endlessly repeats throughout this novel just how often Obiefuna- the main character, notices his own heart constantly beating against his chest – either out of fear, guilt, love, joy or pain.
This coming-of-age novel offers incredible nuance… and pain. There are quite a few characters to keep up with, but Ibeh’s level of detail and care for each character doesn’t make the reading experience arduous. Experiencing Obiefuna come into boyhood & manhood is a bittersweet journey. His experiences in secondary school were so typical of African boarding schools: traumatizing, maddening and rewarding- with the friends he made. His life in university felt a little less traumatizing, but so unfair in the end.
Uzoamaka – Obi’s Mom, is really a secondary character. To me, her role in the book, albeit a joint sorrowful and joyful one, was simply to portray her unconditional love for the son she ultimately regarded as a blessing. They had a sweet, tender relationship. I just wish her storyline was a bit more interwoven with Obi’s. When they were not interacting, it felt like her storyline didn’t really have much to do with the overall plot of the book.
What struck me most were the internal struggles Obiefuna faced when coming to terms with his sexuality; the deep regrets, the pain of simply being. Pain plays a huge role in this book, in my opinion! I found myself wanting to quickly finish the book just to relieve myself of the paaain! Ibeh’s writing hooks you from the first page to the last. I definitely see Chimamanda Adichie’s influence on his writing. It’s brave, measured, calm and exact.
While I loved this book, I did find the last chapters a bit didactic with the characters’ conversation around the 2014 anti-gay bill in Nigeria. I felt the characters were a bit cliché with their takes… I wanted a bit more there. It breaks my heart that Ghana is still pressing to pass an equally harmful, stupid anti-gay bill. It’s completely upsetting.
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My favorite characters were:
- Jekwu & Wisdom – Even though they didn’t really know Obiefuna fully, they somehow grounded him and offered him an awesome brotherhood.
- Sparrow – Whew… my heart bleeds for him and I respect him so, so much. His character made me wonder: why do we tend to respect folks who don’t snitch? It’s painful to bear certain consequences alone, and Sparrow’s character really embodied this dilemma I just questioned.
- Miebi – I liked the comfort he provided Obiefuna during university… but the trajectory of his storyline made him appear a bit phony in my eyes. Great guy though (?).
Characters I hated:
- Senior Papilo – Whenever I saw this character’s name on the page, I felt sick to my stomach. He’s a terror, a sadist, an abuser/groomer and a piece of shit.
- Senior Kachi – He’s a hypocrite, a user; another piece of shit.
- The Chaplain – Sigh… this man is a fear-monger, yet suffering the same things he preached against. Tragic.
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Congrats to Chukwuebuka Ibeh on this brave work. Given the African continent’s irrational and dangerous stance on same-sex relationships, I wonder if this book could have been originally published in Nigeria and not the US/UK. Food for thought…
This is definitely a 4.5 stars read!
★★★★ (4 stars) – Great book. Highly recommend!
(pre-order) Purchase Blessings on Amazon
