Assessment:
Plot: In Bhattacharjee's soulful romantic story, Amara Nwosu migrates to England from Botswana in order to escape an arranged marriage paired with a demeaning "bride price" to be paid to her father. Once in England, Amara embraces her freedom and opens herself to the possibility of finding real love.
Prose: Bhattacharjee's prose is often rich, but at times overwrought. Artificial dialogue has a tendency to undermine the experiences of the protagonist. Nevertheless, readers will have no trouble following the events as they unfold and will feel great compassion and empathy for the central characters.
Originality: Bhattacharjee brings a level of freshness to the story by nature of her protagonist's unique background and the life-changing journey she takes from Botswana to England.
Character/Execution: Amara is an endearing figure who is torn between feelings of guilt and obligation to her family and her own desire for self-actualization. Amara's love interest, Bryce Atkinson, is a somewhat less appealing character, though he becomes more alluring and sympathetic as the novel progresses and he grapples with profound grief. Readers will certainly wish the two to find a happiness that uplifts them both.
Date Submitted: August 31, 2022
thrilling novel...An amazing thriller novel with a rich set of characters who seek love, wealth or redemption in the face of setbacks that life offers. Author has a way with the words and to make the reader empathize with characters. It will be hard to put down this book once you flip through just a few pages because the reader gets drawn into the life of Amara, her trials, tribulations and triumphs. Strongly recommend this book.