The Son of the House
Ratings4
Average rating4.3
15
Ratings4
Average rating4.3
A powerful Nigerian novel celebrating the resilience of women. In the city of Enugu in the 1970s, young Nwabulu dreams of becoming a typist as she endures her employers’ endless chores. She has been a housemaid since the age of ten. Enugu is tall and beautiful and in love with a rich man’s son. Educated and privileged, Julie is a modern woman. Living on her own, she is happy to collect the gold jewellery lovestruck Eugene brings her, but has no intention of becoming his second wife. When a kidnapping forces Nwabulu and Julie into a dank room years later, the two women relate the stories of their lives as they await their fate. Pulsing with vitality and intense human drama, Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia’s debut is set against four decades of vibrant Nigeria, celebrating the resilience of women as they navigate and transform what remains a man’s world.
Reviews with the most likes.
I enjoyed the story but the structure disappointed me terribly and was definitely not award-winning imo.
The story starts strong with 2 recently kidnapped women talking but that's just the jumping point for the actual story which takes place before their abduction.
The first part of this book that centers Nwabulu broke my heart and just kept on breaking it. Then came Julie's part which seemed almost lighthearted by comparison but still engaging and interesting. Finally in the last part they meet and we find out how they ended up where the book opened and how their story has been linked, the last part of the book had me at the edge of my seat.
What an absolutely magnificent ride this book was.
