Review by Booklist Review
Eve Ezenwa-Morrow is not okay. On New Year's Eve, her husband, Quentin, died by suicide. Although Eve has a strong support network in her close-knit Nigerian British family and her best friend and coworker, Bee, the realization that nothing will ever be the same has frozen her in place. Eve's sister Gloria, a take-charge attorney, does her best to run interference between Eve and her nightmare mother-in-law, Aspen, who seems determined to hurt Eve through her increasingly pushy and cruel demands, and her brother Nate, a happy-go-lucky young man, becomes Eve's rock. As time passes, Eve starts to come to terms with her emotions, but it's a stop-and-start process full of tears, anger, and memories of Quentin--until hope comes from an unexpected and surprising place. Nwabineli's exceptional debut is a heartfelt and moving portrayal of grief and recovery in all its messiness. By the end, there's a sense that Eve has made it through the worst, but there's no artificial happy ending--just a woman doing her best to move forward with the family and friends who stood with her during her darkest moments. This is an excellent choice for book clubs and for readers who enjoy thought-provoking, deeply emotional fiction.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Nwabineli debuts with a powerful tale of a London widow whose photographer husband died by suicide. After Eve finds her husband, Quentin, dead on New Year's Eve, she struggles to find her equilibrium in the aftermath, turning to her close-knit Nigerian family's support, her best friend Bee, and benzos and barbiturates to survive. Having been with Quentin since their college years, Eve feels lost, and her behavior--which leads to publishing an online article suggesting the perfect cocktail of pharmaceuticals to address grief--results in her getting sacked from her magazine job. Matters are made worse by Eve's mother-in-law, Aspen, who blames Eve for the suicide of her only child, which complicates Eve's already-overwhelming grief. Just when it looks like Eve will never recover, a series of unexpected events and people show her a way to climb out of the depths of despair. Nwabineli credibly portrays Eve's gut-deep grief and her reckoning with the fact that she'll never know what darkness lay within her partner's thoughts. The author also skillfully sets up a series of surprising turns. The genuine displays of emotion and sharp narrative will keep readers turning the pages. Agent: Amy St Johnston, Aitken Alexander Assoc. (Oct.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Nwabineli's first novel opens with Eve, who has recently lost her husband to suicide. With no note or obvious warning signs leading up to Quentin's death, Eve's grief is compounded by an unsuccessful search for the meaning behind her husband's motives. Complicating the situation is her mother-in-law, who unequivocally blames her for Quentin's suicide. Yet throughout this difficult journey Eve has the unwavering support of her family, who accept her actions with patience and understanding. This novel explores many challenging topics, from suicide to mental health to interracial marriage. The author spends much of the narrative describing the all-consuming grief after losing a loved one. While the descriptions of emotions ring true, most of the characters aside from Eve feel flat. Flashbacks of the couple's courtship and marriage provide background on their relationship, but the author doesn't offer deeper insight into Quentin's reasons for killing himself. VERDICT This is an emotional story of a woman moving through grief with the help of a tremendous support system. The author doesn't shy away from difficult realities. Readers looking for a window into the grieving process will gravitate toward her story.--Sarah Stimson
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young widow comes to terms with her husband's sudden death. College sweethearts Eve and Quentin, affectionately called Q, have been happily married for 10 years, living in London. When Eve discovers her husband's body on New Year's Eve, her life's trajectory--and their life together--is cleaved down the center into Before and After. Quentin, born to the White, "semi-royal" Morrow family, has died by suicide--and Eve had no idea he was even suffering. Eve's world shrinks down to nearly nothing as she navigates her pain, sadness, and guilt. Her close Nigerian family and best friend, Bee, hover close while she refuses to do anything or eat anything other than pain-numbing pills. Without a suicide note, Eve and those closest to Q, including his mother, Aspen--who has always been horrible to Eve and who becomes even worse in the wake of her son's death--struggle to understand how this could happen. As months pass, Eve knows that her family hopes and prays she will soon feel like herself again, and she begins to resent them despite herself: "To grieve is to frighten the people you love." An accidental discovery made halfway through the novel changes the course of Eve's life once again. The novel's second half offers a slow, hard-earned journey toward healing, which is aided by a well-wrought cast of characters who offer Eve opportunities to figure out who she is now, without Q. Though some readers may find the book unrelenting, Nwabineli's stunning insight and prose offer a true and honest portrayal of grief as vast, unending, and ever changing; she also meditates on themes of forgiveness, hope, and the endless love of family and friends. Nwabineli's debut is deeply moving, tender, and, against all odds, funny. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
