Review by Booklist Review
Three women's worlds collide when a new arrival, good-looking Lani, threatens to unravel the lives they have worked to build as Nigerian expats in Singapore. Dara has practically been promised a partnership in her prestigious law firm until Lani is assigned to her case. Amaka struggles to navigate family drama and a workplace romance until Lani offers himself as an attractive distraction. The ghosts of Lillian's past are dredged up and she is forced to confront the realities of her marriage when she meets Lani and sees that he's the doppelganger of her deceased father. Actor Fadipe's first novel is a gripping portrayal of the highs and lows of living and working in a foreign country within a small community. She creates complex characters whose motives continually keep the reader in suspense, while also addressing wider issues of workplace dynamics, misogyny, and the discrimination Nigerians face around the world. A perfect recommendation for fans of Lolá Ákínmádé kerström's In Every Mirror She's Black (2021) and Nikki May's Wahala (2022).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Fadipe's striking debut, three Nigerian women living in Singapore contend with the arrival of Lani, a handsome and charming British Nigerian lawyer who threatens to unravel their seemingly perfect lives. Attorney Dara sees her dreams of making partner evaporate when Lani is brought in by the firm to lead one of her major cases. To make matters worse, her friendship with Amaka, a banker secretly struggling with a shopping addiction and mounting debt, is threatened by Amaka's physical attraction to Lani. Also in the mix is Nigerian American Lillian, a former professional pianist, who's painfully reminded of her parents' deaths after meeting Lani, who bears a strong resemblance to her father. Fadipe casts a studied eye on Singapore's small but thriving African expatriate community while weaving a cautionary fable about how all that glitters may not be gold. Although Lani for the most part remains a cipher, the female protagonists embody complexity and hidden depths of character. Fadipe's shrewd observations on identity, classism, and racism give the novel an emotional edge ("Nobody really fits in--that's why people try to oppress everyone else"). Fans of recent Singapore-based fiction like Kyla Zhao's The Fraud Squad will savor the local settings and depictions of high society. Agent: Hayley Steed, Madeleine Milburn Ltd. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Three expatriate women navigate love, work, friendship, and family amid the sunny, cosmopolitan glitter of modern Singapore. Dara, a workaholic Nigerian British lawyer, excitedly senses that she's on the verge of becoming a partner in her firm, a long-awaited reward for the long hours she's put in. Amaka, Dara's best friend, is a credit-risk officer from Nigeria who's navigating her father's death and her place--or lack thereof--within his second family as she finds herself spending more and more time gazing lustfully at luxury shoes online. Finally, there's Lillian, a Nigerian American former pianist turned teacher of Business English who's followed her husband to the island, hoping to start a family even as their marriage threatens to fall apart. Initially drawn together by a book club, the three women become further intertwined when Lani, a handsome and accomplished Nigerian lawyer, joins Dara's firm, and the women find themselves involved with him in distinctive and potentially explosive ways. As Lani racks up successes and builds admiration at the firm, Dara senses her position is threatened, and she must decide what she's willing to do to preserve her career. Amaka finds herself irresistibly attracted to him (and away from her stable relationship with her boyfriend) after a chance meeting one night. Seeking an evening course in Japanese, Lani meets Lillian at the language academy where she works, and she is immediately struck by, and then increasingly obsessed with, his resemblance to her late father. Alternating among the perspectives of the three women, Fadipe showcases her rich talent for illustrating Singapore's social and economic landscape as well as the emotional complexities that motivate each character. A lovely exploration of the phase of self-discovery between early adulthood and middle age. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
