Cover Image: Rootless

Rootless

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I still gave it a 4 because it went a little slow to me. I would still recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed Rootless, a debut novel set in Ghana and London. It’s the story of Sam and Efe through friendship, marriage, motherhood, and relationship struggles. A powerful love story; I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Wow! I can't believe that this excellent book is a debut. Krystle Zara Appiah has presented a gripping story about family, marriage and friendship with realistic view on the struggles that often accompany those relationships. The author does a good job of showing us life's struggles. Family isn't always easy. Parenthood is not always joyful. Relationships take slot of work. And most importantly, how one can lose themselves by always putting others first. Great book. Thanks #NetGalley #BallentineBooks

Was this review helpful?

I know I’m an unpopular opinion on this one but I just could not get excited about this book. I would read a chapter or two a night and then promptly forget about it and not pick it up again for days. That pattern continued for about a month until I finally decided to DNF at 25%. I was excited for a book along the same vein as Maame but was disappointed. I needed maybe a bit more back and forth between timelines because I was finding myself bored with the story of young Efe and just wanting to know what happened to her!
I didn’t find myself connecting to or even liking any of the characters either.
It almost felt as if there was too much trying to be tackled in this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

this was my first introduction to lit fic / women fiction and i am glad it was. the writing was so very poignant and moving from the first page and the changing from the present to the past for majority of the book was so ingenious and impactful

Was this review helpful?

I started really enjoying this book. I was so curious why Efe decided to leave her husband and child. As the story continued, and we learned about Sam and Efe's lives, I became a little restless. I wanted the story to speed up a little and I didn't really need all that history. Thank you, NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

{{4.25}}

This book was a bite slow but good. I liked the setup based on dates. I really enjoyed the MC's journey. This book made me look at each character & try to determine if they were right or wrong in certain choices they made.

Was this review helpful?

Wow, this really tugged at my heartstrings. Rootless is engaging and special. It explores heavy topics with sensitivity and love, and I thoroughly enjoyed the angst that came with it. Definitely check this out!

Was this review helpful?

I was really struggling with what to rate this because there are amazing things about this book and things that didn’t work for me.

First of all, the authors writing is fantastic. I really quickly grew to care for Efe and empathized with her so much. I didn’t really care for Sam and often questioned why they were together.

I am unsure if the multiple timelines worked for this book. At times, it felt a little disjointed.

The ending… oof, that was unexpected and heartbreaking. What a deeply powerful ending, yet struggled with it due to actions of other characters. It felt really unfair.

Overall. I think there are pieces of a strong book here. I’d recommend this for readers who enjoy a coming of age story, and any readers who enjoyed Queenie.

Was this review helpful?

The majority of this book sucked me in, but the ending really felt off to me. I obviously won't give a spoiler, but the disconnect made me question my interest in the rest of the novel.

Was this review helpful?

I wanted to like this book, but I struggled with it. Writing a book takes great dedication and creativity so I commend the author for putting forth the effort. I felt this book contained way too much back story. The beginning of the story was extremely intriguing and immediately pulled me in, but I was soon tossed into a maze of never-ending backstory. Most of wish did not add to the story. Only to arrive at a disappointing ending. Thank you Netgalley and Balletine Books for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a very long time. I have felt so much of what the main character felt, and really related some of her pains as a mother. The ending absolutely broke me. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful story, and would absolutely recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

I feel as if a review wouldn’t really give this book true justice or encompass all that needs to be talked about in order to fully grasp the gem that is this book. And for a debut novel… blown away. Pick it up, immerse yourself, be awed.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars.

Rootless explores the life of Efe, a young woman whose childhood was split between Ghana and the UK, as she comes of age, gets married, and becomes a mother. She faces challenges in her relationships with her family back home, with her husband, and with the child she never wanted.

The book starts with Efe leaving her husband and daughter unexpectedly, then flashes back to her childhood and works its way forward from there. While I enjoyed the story and learning about her relationships in more detail, I felt that the structure of the novel took away some of the narrative tension - we already know where things are going. Even with some surprises along the way, I had a hard time staying engaged the whole way through.

The major strength of the novel is its portrayal of deeply flawed characters. Efe and Sam are deeply flawed, and even as they were making bad decisions I could empathize with their choices and rooted for them both to recover and heal. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books/PRH for the eARC.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adored this book. Krystle's pen game is so strong and so gripping.
The way the book was constructed takes you through a timeline of our two MCs relationship and seeing the years, months, and weeks countdown adds to the intensity.
I will be thinking about this for weeks to come!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an e-ARC of Rootless, available everywhere now.

Since they were in high school, Efe and Sam have been in each other's orbits, in one way or another. It was no surprise, then, when the pair eventually married. With the arrival of their daughter and their careers trending upwards, they are the epitome of a white-picket lifestyle. But despite what it looks like on the outside, the cracks begin to show. After a decade together, the two find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. While Sam is thrilled at the opportunity for another crack at fatherhood, Efe feels like she's trapped in a nightmare. As the two argue about what this means for their future, she flees London in hopes of finding a bearable solution. Leaving, though, might come at a heavy cost for her relationship. Is it one she's willing to bear?

This debut novel tackles numerous hard-hitting themes, from post-partum depression to the punishment women face for not conforming to the traditional roles in society. I'm not ordinarily a fan of stories starting in the present day and then going backwards to tell a story but in this case, I didn't mind it. I thought it allowed for great insight into both characters as we worked our way to the here and now. That said, I didn't care for the ending. It felt like Efe made a unilateral decision without involving her partner, and expected that she'd be forgiven. Sam's original reaction to her choice was much more of an interesting take for me because I thought it most closely mirrored what'd happen in real life. When the story veered off in the opposite direction and then XYZ happened, I was really frustrated and disappointed. Like, that's how things are going to wrap up?

Was this review helpful?

Rootless is a story that tackles pressures put on women (by loved ones and society), motherhood, postpartum depression, loneliness when surrounded by others, and so much more. Though parts of the book were prolonged for my taste, it was done phenomenally (I'm just very impatient). Appiah takes time to develop the characters and share their thoughts and mindsets. Efe, the story's protagonist, undergoes a journey of self-discovery and self-fulfillment. This often causes problems with her loved ones, particularly her mother (Maame) and her eventual husband (Sam). As a woman, I could identify with many of Efe's feelings. However, at times, it felt like her thoughts and actions were dragged out longer than they should have. Overall, I recommend the book and love the blend of London and Ghana.

Was this review helpful?

I was very conflicted about this book. I read is as a buddy read and there were a lot of moments when we were both confused. And the ending…I just don’t know how to feel about it. It tied everything up nicely but is it realistic in its surprise or is a convenient way to let the characters avoid conflict? I read this book over a month ago and I’m still thinking about it. It was real and raw, which made it hard to read, but the prose and alternating time periods made it easy to speed through each chapter. I would definitely agree that this is a “heartrending“ story. I’d recommend it, even if I still can’t decide how I feel.

Was this review helpful?

This is a heartbreaking story of motherhood that might be hard for some people to read. Parental expectations, cultural differences, and losing yourself to motherhood are prevalent throughout the story. There’s also self reflection and healing.

Alternating between past and present weaving together the story of two broken people and their broken families. Rootless was a slow build story that I really wanted to love but parts of it were too long and felt unnecessary.

That being said, I really enjoyed this debut novel by Krystle Zara Appiah. I think there are so many women who will be able to relate to the FMC.

Was this review helpful?

Whew - this hit hard. The writing is so good - I could see the neighborhoods and the smell the food and hear the accents - the writing is that good. The subject of postpartum and how hard it is to be a mother was spot on - it made me cry. I love the image or ROOTLESS and how different places and people can make us either feel at a loss or grounded and stable. This is a really good read and I hope you read it - great for a book club discussion. Thanks to Random
House Ballantine for the advanced copy. I’ll be thinking of this one for a long time.

Was this review helpful?