5 ✨
young adult fiction
Nigerian writer
cw: child abuse, kidnapping, parental abandonment, drug use, panic attacks

thank you partners @netgalley and @algonquinyoungreaders for the ARC!

unspoken traumas become inflicted traumas. they ignite and burn and destroy until there’s nothing left of the relationships that mean the most. all of the women in this novel have experienced deep pain and none of them have access to healing and all of them inflict their pain onto one another, instead of garnering support and healing from each other because no one ever taught them how. except maybe Ginika who is the true healer in this novel, using meditation and writing and love to build bridges

i loved this novel. i loved the relationships the young women form to buoy one another. i love how the story is centered from both sisters’ perspective, garnering empathy and understanding from the reader for the way each of them have learned to navigate the world

this is a story about sisterhood, about motherhood and mothering daughters through pain, about wealth inequality, about opportunity, about the strength of women, about friendship. highly recommend!

I sort of just really loved this book. I was lucky enough to get an advance reader copy from NetGalley and Algonquin and it was the best surprise find ever. The story follows the lives of two Nigerian sisters who experience very different relationships with their mother and their family. In some ways they seem opposite of one another in how they handle similar lives, but as the story unravels there is a wonderful telling of the similarities and differences they face as they learn to survive complex issues such as family, abuse, race, class, and what it means to be. Although the topics are complex and the specifics hard to read, the author does a fabulous job of telling the story with such flow and ease that you get sucked in. I would definitely read more from this author!

With wings you can take flight and change the course of your destiny.

This novel read like a "day in the life" of Nigerian sisters. Although having grown up in the same home Cheta and Zam have different life experiences. The cancer, that is their mother, spoils everything around her - including the sisters' relationship with each other.
What unfolds is how these sisters escape their home life and reconcile their strained relationship.

I absolutely love the cover!

I truly enjoyed this powerful, coming of age story chronicling the struggles, resilience, and strength of teen sisters Zam and Cheta and their family in Nigeria. Onoseta carefully and successfully juxtaposes the relationships each sister must navigate as they learn how to find their footing in a world fraught with inequitable opportunities. This book is full of heartbreak, but the glimpses of hope and the immersion into the Nigerian experience has made it one that lingers with me now and, I expect, will well into the future. Definitely a book I will recommend to my teen students.

Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers, Netgalley, and author Rimma Onoseta for early access to this gripping book.

How You Grow Wings is the stunning contemporary debut novel by Rimma Onoseta. Set in Nigeria, this novel examines family dynamics and the different experiences had by people living in the same household.

A profound story worth a read

CW for colorism, classism, and brief mentions of abuse.

Two sisters set out on different paths. Though appearing vastly different, with plenty of twists and turns, they occasionally cross, if only for a moment.

How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta is a thrilling, intriguing, and touching coming-of-age tale. Sisters Cheta and Zam grew up in an abusive household in a small village in Nigeria. Cheta, the oldest, is used to being horrifically abused by their mother, and resents Zam for being the favorite. Zam, although not physically abused, has developed an anxiety disorder from the constant stress and toxic environment. I won't go into the various scenes of abuse depicted throughout the story, but suffice it to say, these girls grew up in an environment with the threat of violence looming over them. So, when the extremely rich aunt and uncle of the family invite Zam to live with them in Abuja, she immediately accepts, leaving Cheta behind.

Onoseta has written the book with chapters that switch between the points of view of both sisters, and she does it well. It never feels confusing or unnatural, and it allows us to better understand Cheta and Zam's relationship. Zam hates Cheta, finding her terrifying, mean, and selfish. Cheta hates Zam, but also feels a strong urge to protect her. Her methods can be violent and impulsive, though, and tend to cause more issues.

Once in Abuja, Zam begins to blossom. She befriends Ginika, another girl who lives in the house, and eventually Kaira, her cousin. However, Zam quickly learns that her richer relatives' lives aren't perfect, and contain pockets of darkness she could never have imagined.

Cheta, left in the village, is faced with her mother's hatred without a buffer. There's a scene where she sits alone for hours at the table, having made dinner for the family. When her parents finally come for food, hours later, it's clear that the tradition of family dinner was for Zam. Without her, there's no need.

How You Grow Wings is not afraid to confront issues of race and class in Nigeria. Colorism is rampant. Zam and Cheta's mother is the darkest of her sisters, and they call her "Blackie". This has caused her to constantly bleach her skin, leading to chemical burns. Aunt Sophie, the aunt Zam goes to live with, is mixed race and very light. Ginika, who is very well-educated about the horrors colonialism inflicted on her country, comments on it to Zam: " 'How do I look at her?' 'Like you're obsessed or in love. It's creepy. Honestly. You people's obsession with mixed race people is disgusting,'"(loc 293).

Ginika, who was raised abroad, is very focused on connecting with her roots. She asks Zam to teach her Igbo, and tries to connect with her ancestors spiritually. Through her, we are given a clearer look at problems in Nigeria that Zam is largely unaware of.

Zam's naïveté fades the longer she lives with her aunt and uncle. She quickly learns that fraternizing with the staff is frowned upon, and could even cause them to be fired. Rather than going to the market to shop on her own, she has to be chauffeured and looked after. This all comes to a head when Zam is traveling with Aunty Sophie and is caught in a kidnapping situation. Although left with a broken arm, Zam is not kidnapped, but the same can't be said for her aunt. The aftermath changes the family forever, and the three girls are sent to boarding school in the UK.

Cheta's life, though free of kidnapping attempts, contrasts sharply with Zam's. After leaving her abusive home, she ends up sleeping on the couch of a former schoolmate in Benin City. Unable to find a job, Cheta eventually accepts the offer of becoming a dealer. Interestingly, Zam, Kaira, and Ginika get busted for attempting to purchase marijuana, but are let off the hook with no real punishment. Were Cheta to be captured, the outcome would be dangerously different, and she knows it.

Eventually, Cheta and her roommate are given the chance to become sugar babies—younger women entering relationships with rich men for money and gifts—and they both accept. Cheta is then pulled into a darker plot that changes the relationship between her and Zam forever.

I very much enjoyed reading How You Grow Wings. It gives a beautiful picture of Nigeria without sugarcoating real issues that plague the nation. I found both Cheta and Zam to be interesting, likable characters, and it was easy to feel real empathy and concern as their stories progressed. I flew through the story with genuine interest in the outcome. There were a few loose ends in the plot, but it's a solid read regardless.

Final rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I did not like this book, and I probably wouldn’t have finished it if I hadn’t received it as an ARC. Sometimes that can be a good thing, pushing me out of my comfort zone to give a book more of a chance, but in this case I would not recommend this book and I’m not glad I read it.

It’s about two sisters in Nigeria, one of whom is the favorite of everyone in her family and is given amazing opportunities to advance in her life, and the other is just treated like shit. The only character that comes close to being sympathetic is the latter sister, despite the trauma dump of awful backstory we get for everyone. In a “shocking” twist (it’s not shocking, it’s incredibly obvious and the fact that they took so long to get to the “big reveal” is infuriating) she becomes a bit of a villain, and yet is still the only character I tolerated. I like a good complex/unlikeable hero, but I just didn’t want to spend any time with these whiny awful people.

The first half is slow and took me forever to get through, I was just reading a couple pages at a time here and there and never got pulled in, wanting to know more. It picks up a bit in the second half but again the big twist is so obvious and most of my feeling engaged with the book came from just wanting to get to the reveal already.

This is a stunning debut novel by Rimma Onoseta about two Nigerian sisters who go on separate paths. One is given the opportunity to live with a rich aunt and uncle. The other leaves home with very little to escape an overbearing and abusive mother. Each sister has their own challenges in their new lives and eventually their paths cross again. This is a story told in dual perspectives about family, sisterhood, strength and friendship that intertwines themes like class, racism, abuse, mental health, colorism, code switching and class variations. I highly recommend it.

Summary: I really enjoyed reading How You Grow Wings.




Rimma Onoseta’s How You Grow Wings is a beautiful but difficult story about two sisters who take different paths to reach their goal of escaping family trauma. Even more than that, it is a story about how generational trauma can fester and ruin something as beautiful as sibling love.

Our story begins with Cheta and Zam, two sisters who are opposites of each other. We dive headfirst into the environment the two sisters grow up in: we learn about Ezinna, their cousin being accused of being an Igbaraja ( prostitute); their mother’s addiction to bleaching her skin; and their father’s refusal to speak. During the scene with Ezinna, their uncle’s wife, Auntie Sophie, comes in and saves the day. Auntie Sophie is positioned not only as desirable because of her mixed, “half-caste” ancestry but also because of her disdain for the types of punishment Cheta and Zam’s relatives and mother dole out ruthlessly. Cheta’s jealousy of Zam reaches a head when Zam gets to move in with Auntie Sophie and her rich uncle. There she meets cousins Ginika, a budding Africanist, and Kaira who initially judges her for speaking with a heavy accent.

In terms of craft, Onoseta has done an incredible job of bringing very different worlds together. The first is Cheta and Zam. Though characterized as sharp tongued and ready for battle, she holds Zam dear but is unable to express it because her own value is constantly debased. Zam kowtows to her mum as her own way to deal with the tensions that exist within the home. Cheta mistakes this for comfortable ignorance. Onoseta makes it clear how Cheta's priority is to survive while Zam navigates complex relationships with people. We are just presented these challenges and asked to make up our own mind.

The second world Onoseta set up for the reader is the world of the wealthy in Abuja. The hierarchies are palpable.: Kaira and her friends, the staff keeping distance from Zam and when one of them unfortunately gets fired, the way in which they exclude her and Zam’s need to fit into their world rather than her uncle’s. The trauma and the tensions within the home mirror that of Zam’s own family. She witnesses the external and mental as well as physical violence that takes place within a successful home. Onoseta does an incredible job of establishing that trauma flows through each family and one either ignores it (like Zam’s family) or supports each other as they work through it (Abuja storyline).

In the end, as expected, the two sisters end up in different positions in life. Cheta shows no remorse even though what she has done is dangerous. Rather than lecture or hold disdain over her, Zam chooses to save her sister. I hadn’t expected the ending to be as satisfying as it was. I went in very much disagreeing with Cheta’s decision but found it refreshing to have a conclusion that was neither preachy nor damning. It just was. I cannot wait for a wider release so people can experience it.










Full review will be on Medium in Mid-July.

By using multiple perspectives, How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta illuminates the dynamics of the family. The novel is an older YA novel, but it explores some interesting themes regarding race, gender, and class.

How do you escape a difficult life you never asked for? For many, the short answer is: "You can't." But trauma can be passed down through generations. Perhaps sisters Zam and Cheta can finally be the ones to break the cycle.

HOW YOU GROW WINGS hurts. It hurts whether you grew up in a good home or something else. But somehow, still, there is hope in knowing if you persist, you can survive anything.

By the end of this story, you may find you don't love a lot of its characters. And that's the point. Zam and Cheta both encounter difficult people everywhere they go as the pages turn, and their own choices become questionable at points.

In the end, though, you'll find yourself thinking hard about the strength it takes to keep going, even when it seems impossible.

Overall I really liked the story. The cover is great & eye-catching. The opening scene with the cousin's beating was intense, and served to set the scene, but then wasn't ever referenced again in detail. I felt like that scene needed to be returned to somehow. The ending didn't seem as well developed as it could have been. The scenes of the girls holed up at home becoming besties after the kidnapping seemed shallow - I didn't FEEL like they'd become close really.
But the story was engaging and kept me coming back.

Great book, I loved this read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

An interesting exploration of family dynamics, with particular focus on the different relationships children can have with their parents and the impact that has on their interactions with their siblings. I enjoyed the use of multiple perspectives as it allowed us to get to know, and empathise with, both of the primary characters. Definitely a book for older teens, this could be a very interesting source of discussion about how race, class and gender impact on our experiences of growing up. Thank you to NetGalley.co.uk and Algonquin Young Readers for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely incredible story. The relationship between Cheta and Zam is realistically conveyed with the complexities of their environment during a tumultuous time. It is subtle in it's storytelling which is beautiful and nuanced. I was sad it ended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was not expecting this story to pull me in so deeply. To root for two very different sisters in different ways, both deserving of their family's love but each of them receiving something very different. My heart broke for Cheta, all that she suffered at the hands of her mother, and her mother's inability to take responsibility for the situation was disturbing, not to mention the father completely checking himself out of it. And Zam on the other end of the spectrum but suffering in different ways only to be exposed to more life-changing events when she finally feels free from her mother's daily obsessions. That woman was a train-wreck.
It was also an eye-opening account of life in Nigeria and how the powerful can have such influence over the people they employ, the distinction between rich and poor, the dynamics of family and culture at play. When a story makes you feel disgusted and triumphant at the same time, you know it will stick with you for a long time. This story was incredible and will definitely be added to my library.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for my honest review, I love this book! The characters had so much personality. They kept me intrigued from start to finish. Loved it!!! Zam and Cheta were so different but I loved reading the story from both of their point of views. I will be looking forwarding to more of this author's books forsure!

A difficult read - with descriptions of sustained abuse against children and young adults.

Really made me think of Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions in parts. The reality of day to day life and the description of the experience of young girls in Nigeria was excellent.

A tough read - would recommend to a mature Y9 upwards.

This is a heart-wrenching story dealing with trauma, especially the everyday-growing-up family trauma that our parents, siblings, cousins, etc. can inflict. It's beautifully told from two different viewpoints: one from the oldest sister who is hated by her mother, and the youngest sister, who is her mother's favorite. The conflicting viewpoints bring into contrast how hurt can spring out of anywhere and how hanging onto it can fester and prevent people from developing relationships that would otherwise have been supportive and healthy.

I like how the exploration of trauma and family dynamics is interwoven with the sisters figuring out where their place in the world is and where they want it to be as they navigate their coming of age. This novel encompasses a lot and is heavy reading at times, but thankfully ends on a hopeful, if bittersweet note.

This is definitely a book I will have on my classroom shelf, ready for any student who might enjoy or benefit from it.

4.5 rounded down

trigger warnings: abuse, physical abuse / beatings, verbal abuse, one time mention of pseudo-incest (not related by blood but family members who grew up together), skin bleaching, inappropriate teacher/student relationships (mentioned), death of a grandparent, on page panic attack (x2), kidnapping, gun violence, drugs & selling drugs, mentions of drug abuse

this was a stunning debut of rimma onoseta, and i truly cannot recommend it to all of my friends enough. i did round down from 5 stars, as it was a bit dense at points and it was very abuse-heavy. i also found it slightly difficult to start and get in to, but once i was a few chapters in, the story very quickly picked up.

do not go into this book expecting a plot driven, large scale adventure. this book is a small story, it focuses on a small cast and their life experiences and is heavily character driven. but that does not make it any less powerful. there is a focus on color, on race, on class, on family dynamics, and on wealth disparities.

i loved the alternating POVs between the sisters; we were able to sympathize with both situations, even if they weren't able to empathize with each other. this story is profound and stays with you long after you close the book and read the last sentence.

i will be picking up this author's future works. i highly recommend.

thank you to Algonquin Young Readers, Rimma Onoseta, and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.