During the civil war in 1970s Nigeria, two girls lose life as they know it, family and their homes. In the midst of this, they find each other. They fall in love.

Okparanta takes us on Ijeoma’s journey as she learns to understand herself while also reconciling her feelings with what she is taught during bible studies with her mother and in a country that doesn’t accept her. The bliss of first love. The danger of forbidden love. 

I love a good coming-of-age story. This one is pretty heartbreaking but oh so beautiful. 

I have to mention that this is very slow paced. This surprised me initially because I’ve previously only read short stories by Okparanta so I know she can get to a point quickly. That said, I found myself wanting to slow down with the book and really feel what was happening.