Rating: 4 Stars
Published: November 29, 2024
Pages: 256
Genre: Fiction
Buy: Amazon.com
This is the third book by the author I am reading, and having enjoyed reading her previous work, I was looking forward to reading this one.
The story follows Naomi and Jan who meet on facebook, begin a long-distance relationship and fall in love. They eventually get married against all odds and Naomi leaves everything and everyone she knows in Nigeria and moves to start a life with Jan in Belgium. Unfortunately, what they both desire – an addition to their perfect life and family does not happen as they had hoped but instead of giving up, they throw everything they have at their dream of having children until a miracle occurs and Naomi finally gets pregnant. Then, at almost 6 months, Naomi is told by her doctor that the child she is carrying is dead. This is a big blow to Naomi and Jan’s marriage, lives, and mental/emotional health and as they try to navigate this very dark and traumatic time in their lives, they wonder if they will make it out on the other side together. This is a multi-layered story that covers themes around love, long-distance relationships, multi-racial marriage, migration, infertility, grief, loss, ghosts from the past, abuse, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
This turned out to be a very difficult read for me as I have experienced this exact form of loss described in this story in this exact way – no heartbeat (I wrote a poem about this in my poetry collection). I was surprised at the way the story instantly took me back to that place, that hospital room, the scan, and hearing the doctor say those words. I had to stop reading for a couple of days before I could pick this book up again. I sincerely believe that I have healed from the experience but reading this book has made me realize that healing can be a weird thing and as Ma, Naomi’s grandmother said towards the end of the story – “Open up for grief when it shows up because it doesn’t just go away. We only learn to live with it”. While my grief didn’t present itself as Noami’s did, I could relate with her on many levels and also understand all her actions and inactions throughout the story.
Thankfully, I was cheered up with Naomi and Jan’s love story and even when they were consumed by this heavy loss, they still held on to their love in many ways that words could not express. I enjoyed the way the author effortlessly takes the reader between the past and the present as she weaves this story and continues to reveal Naomi’s character up until the very last pages of the book. The book screams authenticity and I could see that the author poured her heart into this story and for that, I thank and applaud her for the courage to tell this story in a raw and unapologetic manner.
The only thing I didn’t like in this story was how it ended. I would have preferred it ended with a Naomi and Jan scene (even if it were on the phone) to give a brighter picture of hope. Therefore, I left the story feeling somewhat unsatisfied nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable read.
I highly recommend this book to all lovers of literary fiction; however, it has a lot of strong themes so ensure you have the stomach for it. I hope the author writes something new in the near future.
The Author
Angel Patricks Amegbe is a Nigerian-Belgian writer, performing poet, and visual storyteller. She is the author of “The Days of Silence”, “No Pink in a rainbow”, and “Sundance” her debut Poetry collection. With a passion for amplifying unheard voices and shedding light on sensitive themes, she seeks to inspire change and foster meaningful dialogue through impactful storytelling.
Angel has worked with the Asmara Addis Literary Festival in Exile (AALFIE) Belgium, and facilitated a class at the Creative Writing Academy for Refugees and asylum seekers in Brussels. Her essays have appeared in AYO magazine and Afreada. She currently lives in Belgium with her family.
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