This was another vacation read and it was a perfect road trip ebook. Two Nigerian women are kidnapped at the beginning of the book. Nwabulu left a harsh childhood at the age of 10 to become a housemaid. Julie has lived a modern, educated, and privileged life. While they are being held, they tell each other their life stories. This dual narrative is the bulk of the book, with the kidnapping being a very minor part, used as a literary device to set up the storyline. We are given a glimpse into 4 decades of life in Nigeria, which was very different for each of the 2 main characters. However, even though Julie and Nwabulu lived polar opposite lives, they both faced aspects of patriarchy, female expectations, womanhood, motherhood, traditional cultural mores, changing modern influences, devastating life experiences, sisterhood, enduring friendships, and hope. Eventually, their lives intersect in a quiet, unassuming way that leads to their kidnapping and new discoveries about what it means to be a Nigerian woman. The beauty of this novel is not in plot twists, cliffhangers, or shocking surprises. It’s soul and power lie in the setting, characters, and gorgeous heart-shattering storytelling. If you read this book, I hope you appreciate the journey as much as I did. It would be a great buddy read or book club choice. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was such a great read and it will have you thinking about the characters long after you finish reading it. Once you start reading it you don't want to put it down. Reading about these women's struggles through tough times was quite interesting in a good way. I recommend picking this one up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and provide my own review.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

This is definitely not the kind of book I'm used to reading, but I tried to get into the story without a lot of expectations, and I think that's what made me like it.
Here we have the stories of two very different women who go through different situations but who are strong enough to survive and be successful in a world and in a time where women are treated in horrible ways just for being a woman.
We have in this book two stories about suffering but in different ways which I like, it shows us how no one's life is perfect and everybody goes through struggles.
The hardest part for me was the African names and terms, this story takes place in Nigeria and we are introduced to their culture and way of life, which was very interesting.
The author's writing is simple but makes the book a fast read.
The story even has some very interesting twists and connections between itself that you might not be expecting (I wasn't).
The end was the part I liked the least and when I finished the book I was disappointed, even so, that I thought it might be missing a few pages because it ended a little too abruptly.

There's a reason this book one awards. I read it almost in one sitting. The take unfolds so beautifully. I wasn't expecting it. The way these two women bring you into their lives is magical. Learning about their struggles, how they define themselves, and how the world works against them is amazing. When it ended I was so sad because I didn't get the cathartic ending I thought I would. Truly beautiful.

Such a wonderfully written book. African literature remains the most profound literature. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait for it to be shared with others.

I was really excited when I received the book. I'm really enjoying this new African Literature Wave (can we call it a boom already).
The book has the story within a story structure that is always quite appealing. Nwabulu and Julie were kidnaped and they are held captive together. So they decide to tell each other's life story. They come from very different backgrounds and their lives are almost in different ends of the Nigerian social spectrum but they both are victims of gender inequality.
The story has a very intimate tone. It can be read almost as a confession. The prose is simple and beautiful and reflects great knowledge and wisdom. Higly recommend it.

SON OF THE HOUSE is an unputdownable debut following two Nigerian women whose lives are upended when they are kidnapped.

The book was slow starting for me, but gripped me soon enough. The novel itself isn’t necessarily formulaic, it’s driving force isn’t the plot, it’s the people. Intrinsically it is a very human story, full of darkness but also hope and love.

Onyemelukwe-Onuobia tackles a multitude of themes, i causing femininity, colonialism, and abuse of power with a certain elegance—or as much grace as you can have with such themes—and manages to stay rooted to the characters throughout.

This novel starts right in the heat of the action: two Nigerian women have been kidnapped and are awaiting their fate together. As conditions get more desperate, the older of the two suggests they tell each other their stories, and so begins the true meat of this book.

Heading back in time a few decades, Nwabulu’s story begins when she is 10 years old, and has just been shipped to the big city by her stepmother (her only living parent) to work as a housemaid, where her employers will put her in school. Instead, they are incredibly abusive, and she doesn’t last even a year in their home before being sent back to her village. Soon, though, she is sent off again, this time to the city of Enugu, to live with a family with a young son. Though the situation isn’t perfect by any means, it’s a vast improvement from her original job, and she grows to love her young charge and does get to go to school, developing a deep friendship with another housemaid on the street. Through this friend, she meets Urenna, the handsome son of the other household, and after that, life will never be the same.

Julie’s story begins around the same time, although she’s already an independent woman living alone in the Enugu. She’s been in a relationship with successful Eugene for quite some time, despite the fact that he’s already married and a father. But Julie’s getting older, and she sees her opportunities for finding an eligible bachelor growing smaller. So, she convinces Eugene she’s pregnant with his first son, and that they must marry.

The description of this book, and its prologue, suggest that it is a thriller — two women trapped in a desperate situation, will their ransom get paid, or will they die together? Instead, the vast majority of the book is much more about domestic life of two Nigerian women in very different contexts, and how their lives will ultimately intersect. More than a thriller, it’s a rumination on motherhood — what makes you a mother or not a mother — and what it means to be a woman in Nigeria and in the world. I found this quote particularly poignant:

"Yes, it was true that I suffered no labour pains, no recovery from a Caesarean section. But that was not all that made a mother. I held Afam when he was little. I remembered the day he went to school for the first time; I remembered the song he sang the first day at nursery. I remembered how he would always ask for me when malaria struck. Me, not anyone else. I remembered the first tune he ever hummed, the shine in his eyes when he smiled. I remember his first letter from boarding school, the first dream he remembered on waking up. I had known the greatest earthly love a woman can know, loving a child and being loved in return."

For me, I think this book suffered due to a clash with my expectations. The heart of these two women’s stories seems so disjointed from the dramatic way it starts and ends. This book reminded me quite a lot of two I read back in January, with Nwabulu’s story finding lots of similarities with The Girl with the Louding Voice and seeing echos of His Only Wife in Julie’s story. If you loved either of those books, you may enjoy reading this one as well. (That’s not to say this is an exact copy of either of those — in fact, this was originally published in 2019, before those books were released.)

3.5 stars

I was getting into a bit of a reading slump,  so I decided to read this because it sounded like something I would love. And it was so hard to put down.

If you enjoyed Stay With Me or The Girl With The Louding Voice then I would definitely recommend this book.

Both women's stories were so good. Heartbreaking, but so good. There isn't a huge twist, at least for me it wasn't. But I think everyone will probably know what's going on. However, that doesn't take away from the story.

I love these books because they tackle issues that are hard. They make you feel seen because they feature real life. It isn't a fairy tale, happy ever after, kind of thing. And I appreciate that so much.

Obviously, I would recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for this eARC.

A fascinating look inside the lives of two Nigerian women dealing with cultural and familial pressures as they navigate life. Kidnapped in the beginning of the book, the two women tell us their life stories. While it took me a minute to get into this book, by the end when it returns to the moment they get kidnapped, I'd totally forgotten that happened. I was engrossed by the narrative and equally invested in each character. This is very well-written and the story ties together nicely. It's heart-breaking at times and reminds us that the lives of women in our patriarchal societies are never easy, nor entirely of their own making.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Onyemelukwe-Onubia uses the premise of a kidnapping to explore how the lives of two women from different socio-economic backgrounds are more similar than one would think, and with one specific and unknown element joins them imperceptibly and concretely. What was interesting was how differently each woman viewed their relationship with the men in their lives and the patriarchal world in which they live. She explores the lack of knowledge of how relationships can start and progress between young adults, showing the power dynamics; the abuse and mistreatment of young women and girls by those to whose care they are entrusted; lack of proper foundational education; outdated notions of the place and voices of women.

However, the author did fixate on the size and shape of the main characters bodies too much, in my opinion, and knowing how much revolves around women's bodies: societally and personally, felt this could have either been done positively or not at all.

Although both these women have had very different upbringings, opportunities, and experiences; occupying polar opposite social standings, they both have shared in the expectations that are placed culturally and traditionally at the feet of women; having been told where their worth lies and what must be done in order to achieve and maintain that worth.

The relationships that Nwabulu and Julia found themselves in really propelled the story and is a direct result of the failings of a patriarchal society and cultural pressure. Onyemelukwe-Onubia has infused this novel with proverbs, food, setting, atmosphere, and people that are engaging and feel real in the way they are portrayed and interact with each other on the page. But what an ending! That ending knocked me all the way out.

The Son of the House follows the lives of two seemingly very different Nigerian women as they struggle to find their place in the world, as well as what ties them together. The individual stories were well paced and left you wanting to find out how they handled the difficult and challenging situations they found themselves in. I did find the structure a little difficult at times, particularly when such long periods were devoted to each woman before changing the point of view. The characters were clearly defined and left you wanting to know what would happen to them next. Interestingly, the 'son' of the title was really the most elusive character for me as we never really got to know him at all outside of what others said about him.

Honestly I was pretty disappointed with this all in all. The premise is so intriguing and I had high hopes, but the plot description doesn’t fit the actual story at all. I thought there was little flow to it and I didn’t found I connected to any of the characters. Nonetheless, I would still read Onyemelukwe-Onuobia’s work. The writing itself was in no way a flaw in this novel, simply the structure, flow and relatively confusing plot.

You know how sometimes you finish a book and immediately miss the characters? That was me with this book — I miss Julie, but I especially miss Nwabulu.

It's 2011 in Nigeria, and the two women are kidnapped and held in cramped conditions. They are different in many ways. Almost immediately, we go back to the 1970s and spend time with each woman. We experience Nwabulu's harsh and often traumatic years of later childhool as a housemaid for often unfair employers, reluctant to return to her village where her widowed stepmother sees her as a curse. As a teen she falls for the son of her housemaid friend's madam, and a secret affair begins, which will change her life. We then meet Julie in her 30s, living independently and unmarried while having an affair with a wealthy and generous married man. Her mother's deathbed wish is for her to change that, and so she hatches a plan to fulfil her mother's request.

After spending the majority of the book in the 70s and early 80s, we go back to 2011 and meet the older Nwabulu and Julie, and see them meet for the first time and develop an unlikely friendship in the months leading up to their kidnapping.

The book took a while to grab me, although it was interesting from the beginning. But the characters slowly drew me in and made me truly care about them. When it suddenly becomes apparent that they are connected in ways they don't even realise, beyond the fact that they've been kidnapped together, it is genuinely shocking. When meeting the 2011 versions of the characters, I was surprised at how intense my reactions were to how their lives had progressed over the decades.

This isn't a book full of twists and turns. There is a solid plot, however it is the character exploration which drives the story. This isn't a happy book. There are moments of real devastation, and yet it doesn't come close to being misery porn. There is joy and hope too. It's very human.

It's a story about womanhood, motherhood, family, and the patriarchy throughout decades of changing culture in Nigeria. In both of the key timeline points, the country seems on the cusp of big change, and discussions of colonial culture vs traditional culture crop up several times.

I wasn't ready for the book to end when it did. It leaves the reader on a semi-cliffhanger, although not an unsatisfying one. Rather than feeling cheated as I often do when things don't feel fully concluded, I instead felt free to imagine the next chapters of the story how I'd like to see them.

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for sharing The Son of the House. I´m from Brazil and this book has not been released here yet, and it was a great experience for me.

It is the story of two women, a rich and a poorer one, who are kidnapped together and, while in captivity, decide to tell their stories, and they discover that they are linked by a very unusual and painful situation. The book encompasses a different range of themes - Nigerian / Igbo culture (and how women are subdued), class differences, gender bias. The story of Nwabulu, who is the poor woman, is very painful, difficult, and is the first to be told, so it was kind of heavy and I ended up alternating another book so I wouldn't suffer so much.

The book presents some very long passages that don't add much to the story, and the open ending bothered me, because it doesn't end the subject and I wanted to know how all turned out, but it is still a good book. From the middle of the story, when we understand that they are interconnected, I was very involved and I couldn't let go.

One of the intentions I set regarding the books I read has been to diversify my shelf. For me this includes seeking out books by authors of color, particularly women of color, as well books written by non-American authors. I received a copy of The Son of the House by Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Side note- I know judging a book by its cover doesn’t tell you a thing about how well the book is written or even what it’s really about but it is captivating. Aside from the cover the description of the book was a large part of why I requested a copy to review. Major themes include: gender, class, tradition, relationship status, community, shame, grief/loss. While held captive the women decide to share their life stories with one another as a way to pass the time. Starting with Nwabulu as a young child we are shifted back in time forty years as she describes life in Nigeria to the present. Eventually Julie does the same but she begins in adulthood. The author manages to weave together a story of two women, separated by time, distance, and class but brought into the familiar with their understanding of what it means to be a woman in their culture. The only issue I had was the ending-but a great book nonetheless.

First kindle book complete! Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for sharing The Son of the House.

This one was a slow build for me. I’m not sure if it was the book or just me getting used to the kindle, but by about halfway through, I was more than hooked!

The book begins with Nwabulu and Julie having been kidnapped. *Not a spoiler, it’s in the description*

There’s not much shared about the reasons behind their current circumstances before it goes into separate backstories for each of the women.

The stories we hear about both women could make stand alone books on their own! The powerful writing brings to life all that each went through in such great detail and keeps you wondering how these two were brought together and ended up where they are now.

We begin this novel in a hostage scene where two Nigerian women are being kept captive in a holding cell. Here Julie and Nwabulua tell each other their stories of who they are and their family secrets to pass the time. From reading the synopsis I thought this would be more of a thriller, based on the hostage set up - however this is used mainly as a backdrop to push these characters together from different social classes in Nigeria and only bookends the story.

I personally didn’t mind this as a plot device as it emphasised the stark contrast between Julie, an older modern woman of privilege, and Nwabulua, a housemaid who has been working since she was a child to provide for herself and her family. The author uses this to illustrate how the traditional and modern aspects of Nigerian culture have affected the trajectory of these women. However whilst there are obvious differences in terms of class, it is made clear to the reader that both women still face the violence and social pressures of a patriarchal society.

In particular Onyemelukwe-Onuobia focuses in on the specific pressure around motherhood. Not only is motherhood presented as a social expectation for women, but the novel also reflects on how the value of motherhood is more constrained for women outside of privilege, where being a mother can be considered more legitimate. These constraints are experienced overtly through these characters and what follows is an engaging family drama that kept my interest throughout! There was a connecting thread that linked the two characters together which was fairly predictable but still felt satisfying to discover within the two narratives.

This is a wonderful debut which I think benefits from a quick read to experience all the family drama in one go! However it never shies away from more difficult topics as it pushes to the foreground issues of class and gender as well as the traumatic experiences of these characters - which made this reminiscent of Stay With Me, by Ayòbámi Adébáyò which I adored!

Why did it end that way? I mean I get it that chimamanda Adichie ended Half of a yellow sun in that conflict unresolved climax way but this book also tried to do that and I am just genuinely confused as to why? Like solve the plot mysteries?

This is a nice book, the writing was great, the plot developed nicely. If you liked #thegirlwithaloudingvoice you will like this.
Even though these books speak on the culture of child labor and domestic workers in Nigeria. I think it’s interesting that the people that write books on it are probably the ones that are rich enough to have young girls as housegirls or even be attended to by these girls when they “visit” Nigeria.
The narration switched between the house girl (Nwabulu who later became a successful fashion designer) and this educated women who was a teacher(Julie).
I didn’t like Nwabulu, her story was sad and to some extent, I could relate, but at some point she mentioned how someone was “too big” and needed to loose weight or how someone’s mouth was too big for their face. It just screams fatphobia for me.

Love the book. I was overwhelmed at some point about rating it because I got the free copy from Netgalley.
I really enjoyed it though.

Thanks to @dundurnpress for giving me access to this book through @netgalley

Beautifully written and with a compelling - if not pretty predictable - plotline, <i>The Son of the House</i> is a very promising debut novel! Like the book blurb suggests, the two main characters come from very different upbringings, but their struggles as girls, women and mothers in late 20th century Nigeria are quite similar (more-so than you might first think).

Many of the recent contemporary literary pieces coming out of West Africa lately - think [book:Stay with Me|32969150], [book:His Only Wife|49151001], or any of the works by [author:Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie|19992417], all deal with similar themes. The conflux of the modern age with a super patriarchal traditional culture makes for some really fascinating, if not super frustrating, commentary on the role and value of women.

While super readable, there were a few things that didn't work for me and prevented a higher rating. Firstly, I don't like the incorporation of the kidnapping. It's all such a very small part of the story and I think adds nothing - the book blurb focuses too much on it. The ending was also awkward and abrupt. Pacing - like other reviewers mention - is sometimes quite slow and sometimes abrupt, and ultimately made this 288 page book feel much longer than it actually was.

<i>I voluntarily obtained an eBook version of this book free from Netgalley and Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review! </i>