Stay with Me

This is a brilliant piece of work! The story follows a married couple in Nigeria who for some reason can't have children and the story begins there. As soon as I started reading about Akin and Yejide Ajayi, I was sucked in. Because of the dual perspectives, I was experiencing their struggles and heartbreak of not being able to have children with them.

The story depicts the things we do for the people we love and how it changes us. I'm literally having a hard time trying to say all the things I want to say, because this book blew me away. I can see why it was shortlisted for the Bailey's Prize.

This is a 5 star read for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone. The storytelling was intricately woven, it kept my interest with the hidden gems that popped into the story at the right time, and the characters were phenomenal. Read it, please! You will not regret it!

At the risk of sounding cliche, Adebayo is truly a "stunning new voice in fiction." This novel is told from dual perspectives, and Adebayo achieves the rare feat of making each voice just as powerful, nuanced and sympathetic as the other. Readers should be prepared to accompany these characters to the very highest of highs and lowest of lows on their journey of marriage and parenting. The setting of late 20th-century Nigeria introduces a specific set of cultural norms and traditions that add an additional layer to the novel, and despite the emotional roller coaster this book will take you on, you won't want it to end.

In sparse but always engaging prose, this wonderful debut hooks you right at the beginning, and it never lets you go until the final page. Yejide is dying to get pregnant and in the four years she has been married to Akin, they have been unsuccessful in making it happen. As Yourubas in Nigerian the pressure to have children is great. The pressure on Yejide coming from Akin's family borders on extreme. So, the first of many unwraps comes early in the novel. Akin at the urging of his mother takes on a second wife, despite the fact that Akin and Yejide eschewed the practice of polygamy, vowing not to make it apart of their union.

So Ms. Adebayo has put the reader front and center into the marriage of Akin and Yejide which is in full crumble mode. The novel starts in the present time of 2008 then, she takes us back to their initial meeting and works back to the present to show how we got to a collapsed marriage. She uses Akin and Yejide as alternate narrators to give the readers a balanced look as how the perspective of the marriage failing looks from each party. The heart of this novel clearly is love, and how it looks from various perspectives. As Adebayo works through the various themes in the novel and offers up timely reveals, you will be onboard as an emotionally invested reader supporting Adebayo while trying to wrap your head around Akin's solutions to having children. Adebayo is very convincing in her narrative and storytelling, making the reader a believer and fan page after page. I want to tell you some more about the trials of their marriage but to do so would ruin the pleasant pop-ups that come from reading a great novel. This one will be on 2017 best books of the year. At turns funny, gut wrenching, sobering and thoughtful. A home run. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced ebook in exchange for a fair and honest review. Book publishes on 8/22/2017.

Absolutely wonderful. This debut is like Fates and Furies in that it explores the lies, misunderstandings, and assumptions that affect a couple’s marriage, but Yejide and Akin are depicted in a gentler, more compassionate fashion. The issue of infertility particularly makes this book ideal for discussions.

Desperate to have a child, hopefully a son, a young Nigerian couple struggle to meet the expectations of family and society. The story reflects a culture in which a woman's role is seen as bearing a child for her husband in a society where multiple wives are acceptable, especially if the first wife has not had a child. A society where a mechanic or a doctor would prefer to speak to the husband rather than the wife, where family members have a good deal of influence in this couple's relationship. The struggle is compounded by the lengths to which Akin and Yejide go to and the desperation is reflected in some things that they do that made me not like either of them very much.

There were some twists that I wasn't expecting - maybe too many. I kept wondering what else can happen. Too many things - curves in the plot line , too many secrets. Maybe meant to depict the desperation, but for me they diluted some of broader themes that I at first thought were the substance of the book. It definitely is a learning experience shedding light on the volatile political situation of the times , the culture, the place of women, the importance of a son, of children in this society. While I loved the ending, overall the book is 3 stars for me. A good effort for a debut novel and I will watch for what Adebayo does in the future.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Knopf Doubleday through NetGalley.

Was love enough to help Yejide and Akin weather the storms of life? Perhaps, if they were not subjected to family and societal pressures in Ilesa, Nigeria. Loving couple Yejide and Akin believed in their love, however, the cloud of childlessness weighed heavily on their shoulders after four years of marriage. Akin's mother Moomi, reminded him that as first son, he had the responsibility to leave a child behind upon his death. Moomi told Yejide that if she could not produce a child, she should not be called a woman. Societal standards like these caused both Yejide and Akin to implement strategies to produce the "necessary" child.

Yejide is a motherless child. Her mother died in childbirth giving her life. Her father had four current wives, but none were mothers to her, neglecting her and favoring their own children. Yejide wanted to mother a child that was totally hers. Akin had purchased a hair salon for her where she did hair weaving and hair plaiting. Despite loving her job, she would have given it up in a heartbeat. She was willing to travel to the Mountain of Jaw-Dropping Miracles, participate in fasting and rituals while Prophet Josiah and the faithful chanted and promised a successful pregnancy.

Moomi, Akin's mother decided that since Yejide could not have children, a second wife would be chosen for Akin. Akin installed new wife Funmi in her own apartment with plans to visit her on weekends. When Yejide was informed that a second marriage had taken place, she called her husband "a bloody bastard". Her rebellion took the form of cooking "old" beans when family members came to visit. Akin drove them home and later asked Yejide, "What did you feed them? I had to park by a bush....." on the way home.

Yejide, having no mother, no siblings, felt that Akin would leave her and she would be all alone in the world despite Akin's assurances of love. She needed to have a child before Funmi did to make sure Akin stayed with her.

Akin had secrets of his own. People spending time with him and discussing their business and personal thoughts never realized that he didn't show his hand. He kept to himself. Akin took many business trips to Lagos. Akin's brother, Moomi's "favorite son" Dotun lived there. When Dotun lost his job, he crashed at Akin and Yejide's dwelling in Ilesa. Akin paid Dotun's debts and allowed Dotun to stay until he could get back on his feet.

"Stay with Me" by Ayobami Adebayo was an excellent tome both heartfelt and harrowing. The choices made by the principal characters were drastic and mind-boggling with only occasional silver linings. A page turner and a must read.

Thank you Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Stay with Me".