Oof. I'm sorry. I waited too long on this one and it's past it's release date! I'll be looking for this title at my local library or bookstore, then come back and add a review! I was looking forward to reading it, sounded right up my alley!

In her debut novel, "These Letters End in Tears," Musih Tedji Xaviere unfolds a poignant narrative through a series of letters penned by a young woman grappling with the enduring grip of her first love. Set against the backdrop of Cameroon, Africa, Bessem pours her heart out in these missives to her absent confidante, Fati, whose sudden disappearance shatters her world. Within the pages, amidst the soul-crushing trials, readers are confronted with the harsh realities of being queer in a society where authenticity can lead to imprisonment or worse. Through Bessem's lens, we glimpse the intertwined lives of others navigating similar struggles, weaving a tapestry of resilience amidst hopelessness. While this may not have been my personal favorite as a book garnering widespread accolades as a top prospect for 2024, I found myself drawn to its depth and emotional resonance. Indeed, for the right reader, these letters are bound to evoke tears and leave an indelible mark on the soul.

This was so beautifully written and devastating. If you've read and loved The Death of Vivek Oji, I recommend this one for similar vibes.

I loved the format that our narrator Bessem, was directly speaking to her long-lost love, Fatima, as she tries searching for her years later.

This is a tender novel that explores the difficulties of being queer in Cameroon and the ramifications it has on the queer community who just want to be themselves and love who they love. This is a novel that explores long-lost love, the one you never forget and ultimately never getting closure.

The writing was poignant, powerful and devastating and in just over 220 pages, the author conveys so much in such a short novel.

I will not soon forget about this one. Thanks Catapult for my physical and digital copies for review.

These Letters End in Tears is a story of love, loss, romance, history and friendship. That was so heartbreakingly good! I know they told us that these letters end in years but I really did hope to find a happy ending. Fatima and Bessems love story is one of great origine and one we’ve seen many times. This queer love between two young women in a country ridden with outdated views is so overwhelming it’s insane! I love the writing, I loved the letter style and I loved the content. This was depressing but hopeful, beautiful and sad. I found the ending rushed a bit. But the main point of the story was understood. It’s so insanely comprising and scary to be reminded that men like Mahamadou really do exist in this world. But it’s also refreshing and eye opening to remember women and men apart of the LGBTQ have an innate amount of perseverance. This was a devastating ready, but in a good way.

Well, this book certainly had me in tears. The narrative flows between Bessem's memories of her relationship with Fatima years prior and her current fixation on finding out what really happened to Fatima, while also touching on a wealth of topics about what it's like to navigate same-sex relationships in a country where they are still criminalized.

While I suspected the book was heading towards *that* particularly tragic ending, it was still such a valuable read for its thorough exploration of queer life in Cameroon.

This was a beautifully written (and informative!) debut novel. I have been wanting to read books out of my comfort zone and this seemed like the perfect book to start. I recommend this to anyone who loves lgbtqia+ literature and drama. Oh, and learning new things about different countries!
I have a little notecard of all the new terms I've learned! I love leaving a book with new knowledge, especially if it's coming from a fiction novel. I wish that we got a little more closure in the end (what came of the media post) but overall it was still a very thoughtful and bittersweet novel. These letters did in fact, end in tears.

"These Letters End in Tears" follows Bessem, a female professor in Cameroon as she searches to uncover what happened to the woman she loved in her youth. Throughout the novel, Xaviere deals with a variety of social and political issues, the most prominent, of course, surrounding what it takes and what it means to love someone in a country where same-sex relationships are punishable by law. Extended from this are issues of identity, explorations of religion, family expectations and the like.

I was very taken with the first third of this novel. It was told in a voice that fluctuated between first and second person, where at times Bessem was narrating the story to us, the reader, and other times, she was speaking to Fatima, the woman she loved and lost. While the first several chapters read like letters, this is not written as an epistolary novel. Eventually the prose shifts into a distinct first person narrative, and this coincides with the leg of the book where Bessem is attempting to move away from her fixation on what happened to Fatima. This part of the book (the middle, if you will) slowed down for me and I became less invested. As soon as the narrative points back toward discovering what happened to Fatima, I was engaged again. All in all, the story was lovely at its heart, but the execution not so much. For such a short book, I would have liked it to move more quickly. I think this would have been better off as a short story, or even a slightly shorter novella.

All that said, if you're looking for a literary novel that explores what it means to love or exist inside a community that does everything within its power to punish you and push you out, this is an excellent fit. It is poignant and emotional and sure to move you.
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Thank you to NetGalley, Catapult, and Music Tedji Xaviere for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

These Letters End in Tears is a beautiful debut novel that I cannot recommend enough.
The story takes place in Cameroon where a woman, Bessem, is looking for her lost love, Fatima, who she lost contact with after a brutal homophobic attack.

While the premise of the story can be very hard to swallow and unpleasant to even hear about, Musih Tedji Xaviere does an excellent job of showing the beauty of LGBTQ+ relationships, both romantic and platonic, under oppressive government rule. As a matter of fact, my favorite aspects of the book were seeing Bessem interact with other queer people in Cameroon. I loved seeing how even under dire circumstances LGBTQ people still find ways to persevere and build community.
I can see Bessem's persistent devotion to Fatima and finding her wearing on some readers, but as you continue to read and learn more about them both, you begin to understand.

If you enjoy reading books about the lives of people outside of the United States, LGBTQ+ people's experiences and relationships, and don't mind a sad story, I highly recommend These Letters End in Tears! Musih Tedji Xaviere is an author to keep an eye out for.

Thank you Netgalley and Catapult for sending me an advance reader copy in exchange for this honest review.

aw man. this one is tragic & touching, devastating and delicate, all about the lasting impact of young love, lost love especially. I really appreciated learning about what it's like to be queer in Cameroon, though it made me really really sad to think about what so many people are dealing with / have dealt with for so long, and that there are so many people (everywhere, not just Cameroon) hiding such fundamental parts of themselves in fear. I'm still formulating the rest of my opinions but ultimately I'm really glad I read this one. while it's not particularly happy, it had it's moments, and ultimately made me grateful for the human ability to love & be loved in this cruel, weird world.

thank you netgalley and catapult for the arc!!

This was short and very sweet, a story of young love and how it can stay with you for decades. This was a really special read for me in many ways; partially because I'm very ignorant and know next to nothing about Cameroon or life there and this really challenged some biases I didn't realize I had, and partially because it really hit me where it hurt in reminding me of the intensity of relationships between women, especially at that age, and how deep it can be. This one doesn't have a happy ending, unfortunately, and I wished it was a bit longer, but it told a really important story that I hope a lot of people have the pleasure and privilege of reading.

I’m all for reading internationally. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book by a Cameroon-born author or one set in Cameroon, so when then book came up on Netgalley, it piqued my interest. There was also that cleverly tear-blurred cover.
Anyway, unsurprisingly Cameroon turns out to be a nightmarish destination, even from the remove that reading affords. War-torn, divided between Anglophones and francophones, Christians and Muslims, and with positively medieval attitudes toward women and sexuality. In other words, not a great place to be a lesbian. More like one of the worst places in the world, actually.
But one doesn’t get to choose where they are born, they just sort of learn to make the best of it. Especially, the novel’s protagonist, Bessem, who actively opts to stay in Cameroon despite possibility of obtaining political asylum in Canada or UK. The main reason she chooses to stay is because her soul is permanently anchored in Cameroon by a long-lost love, Fatima.
It’s been well over a decade since they first met and had one of those passionate young love affairs one seldom if ever truly recovers from. They were as different as different can be, the Anglophone Christian Bessem and the Francophone Muslim Fatima. Bessem came from a well-to-do family, looked femme (timid and mild), and was popular with male suitors. Fatima was from a struggling family, presenting gay and brash enough to live her truth at all costs. And the costs were high indeed, especially since her own older brother was the one determined to “fix” her with punishments that rivaled each other in their brutality.
Nevertheless, like true star-crossed lovers, Bessem and Fatima couldn’t stay away from each other, They made plans to be together forever and then Fatima disappeared. It locked Bessem emotionally for years to come. Years spent trying to find out what happened and writing tear-stained letters she had no way of sending. This is the story of her finally finding out the truth.
You’d have to be rather unreasonably optimistic to expect a happy story from a novel about being gay in Cameroon with a title like that. It’s a heartrending, devastating, emotional gut-punch of a story. The language is rather simplistic at times, and the book could have used a bit more editorial tightening, but overall, it resonates. And serves as a sobering reminder of what life is like in some corners of the world. Thanks Netgalley.

"These Letters End in Tears" by Musih Tedji Xaviere is a heart-wrenching forbidden love story set in a country where being gay is punishable by law. The novel follows the lives of Bessem and Fatima, two women who navigate the challenges of a forbidden romance in a society that condemns same-sex relationships.

Bessem first notices Fatima on the soccer field, where she stands out as the only woman playing, exuding confidence and charm. A playful wink from Fatima changes everything for Bessem, setting the stage for a love story fraught with societal and familial obstacles.

In Cameroon, where same-sex relationships are illegal, Bessem and Fatima face significant challenges. The situation becomes even more dire when Fatima's older brother, a staunch Muslim, discovers their affair and intervenes violently. The story takes a dark turn when a police raid at the only gay bar in town lands both women in jail. Following their release, Fatima mysteriously disappears, leaving Bessem with unanswered questions about her fate.

Thirteen years later, Bessem, now a university professor leading a relatively quiet life, has never forgotten Fatima. When she encounters a mutual friend who may have information about Fatima's whereabouts, Bessem embarks on a determined and winding search for her lost love. The novel explores themes of love, resilience, and the enduring impact of societal prejudice on individuals who dare to defy societal norms.