Another book I read in February but didn't review until December! There was a lot to love about this debut. I think the author has a great grasp on building tension and creating fully fleshed out, realized characters. Efe is a very flawed character, who grapples with parenthood and the choices she's made in life. Her actions didn't always make sense to me, which made her a frustrating character to read about but I think Appiah is a skilled enough writer to allow room for empathy towards her. I will say, the ending of this book came completely out of nowhere and seemed unnecessary to me. But I'll definitely pick up the next thing she writes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

This was such an interesting story! I really enjoyed the unique plot and the characters. I look forward to the author’s next work!

This book was really good. I read the description when I initially added the book but I didn't reread it when I started to read it so essentially I went into the book blind. I'm glad I picked this one up. One thing about Efe, she's gonna live in her truth and do what's in her best intrests regardless of who likes it or who's affected by it. This unfortunately left a lot of damage and destruction in her path. I think Sam had a lot of patience with her and did the honorable thing (for the most part). The thing I appreciated the most was the love each other had for one another regardless of the circumstances or selfish decisions. Trigger warnings for self mutilation, post partum depression, abortion.

This was a heartbreaking tale of what it truly means to be restless and rootless. On the outside Sam and Efe had the perfect marriage but nothing is what it seemed as Efe is restless leaving her to question everything and her family reeling. Beautifully written but heartbreaking all the same.
Thank you #ballantine and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Decent story. However, it was hard to connect with the characters. The pacing was a little slow for me as well.

One afternoon after Sam realizes Efe took a large sum from their bank account, he rushes home to find her gone. After several unanswered phone calls Sam is franti, but finally gets in touch with Efe;s sister and finds out she’s 5000 miles away. Efe and Sam are both children of immigrant African parents, and are living int he UK while their parents are still in Ghana. Efe has always felt the pressure from her parents to go to college and get the perfect respectable job, but Efe wants to be an artist, and the pressure from her parents gives her bouts of depression. After failing out of school Efe starts working at a gallery and immersing herself in the art world. Sam is a safe bet for Efe as he is in school to be a lawyer, he provides safety and stability, and she does truly love him. An unplanned pregnancy causes Efe sadness and strife. She does not want a child as she is working on herself. Sam however is ecstatic about the pregnancy. Sam is so excited to be a father he cannot see how sad Efe is. Once the baby comes Efe falls into a deep depression. As the relationship spirals Efe continues to feel she is losing herself. As Sam struggles to find out why Efe left, Efe starts finding herself. Times goes by and the couple has to find out if they really want to make this work and what it will take to get back to the lover they shared.


Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this ARC

An emotional and gripping story of a married couple in crisis and how they work to move forward. I enjoyed the journey the characters took me on as well as the flow of the book. It kept my interest and was very intriguing. I plan to look for more works from this author in the future. well done.

This was an impressive debut by this author. The premise of this book sounded promising and the cover caught my attention. However, I found it hard for me to connect with the characters. I think that if it would've been written in first person, it would've gripped me. I felt some sort of disconnect and felt that the pacing and flow was off. The format was confusing because of the past and present timelines. I also felt like that ending was just for shock factor because it came out of nowhere and I wasn't happy about it. Nonetheless, I commend the author for this beautifully written book. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Some days I daydream about finding my passport,buying a one way flight and seeing what outside feels and looks like. Reading this book made me crave the previous statement more.

Special thanks to @amara.reads and for buddy reading it with me, she facilitated a great discussion about the many ways we become mothers and how one survives.

This is the story about a Nigerian woman named Efe and how she became and felt as a mother, wife, sibling and child, it is told over twenty years from the perspective of her and her husband, Sam.

Appiah tells a whole story, she gave Efe an entire life, her husband played the role of father who thought his career was more important than the family he begged for and therefore the family must suffer. Appiah showed women as the heroine of their own life but still not good enough without a family. I was so happy to see her choose herself. (I too am team FTK!) She was able to experience friendships and her art the way she wanted to. Many women do not get the opportunity to choose themselves. This novel tells you what that could cost.

This is another one that will leave you in tears, well worth the read. Check in on your mom friends.

I am really struggling to try and review this book without giving spoilers.
There was a lot that worked for me in the story. In particular I was really interested in seeing how young immigrants from Ghana live and find community in London. Those chapters from the past I enjoyed immensely.
What didn't work for me? Efe and Sam's relationship! They knew she didn't want to be a mother, they knew Sam wanted to be a father and they still got married. This was doomed to fail from the get go.
What else didn't work for me? Adult Sam. As a husband and a father. Garbage.
Also, Efe's parents. I can't say why, because it would spoil part of the plot, but as a mother myself, I cannot relate.
I knew from the very beginning where the ending was heading, but that didn't make it any less heartbreaking.
Most of all, what really didn't work for me is how realistic the depiction of postpartum depression and the struggles of motherhood felt! It made me uncomfortable, which was the point. So, I guess that part was well done, really. Honestly, this book infuriated me. When I originally finished it, I wanted to give it 2 stars. I knew that wasn't fair, but I felt like I really didn't like it. Then I sat with it for a while, and I find that even months after finishing the story I still recall the plot. It stuck with me, the red-hot anger has subsided and now it's an easy 4 star book for me. Let's call it acquired taste.

I had high expectations for this book, initially drawn to its captivating cover and intriguing premise. However, I failed to establish a connection with the characters, causing the story to feel disjointed and lacking flow, in my opinion. Additionally, certain aspects of the subject matter were challenging to digest, prompting me to frequently set the book aside. Nevertheless, I must commend the author for the beautiful and well-crafted writing in this novel. I remain optimistic and eager to explore any forthcoming endeavors by this author. .

great book wow. recommend having nothing else to do but read for a day or 2. the character development was great as as well as the plot.

Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah

"A provocative debut novel about a marriage in crisis that asks the question: Can you ever be rooted in a home that's on the brink of collapse?"

I enjoyed Rootless, the debut novel by Krystle Zara Appiah. I liked reading about the dynamics of the relationship between Efe and Sam. I couldn't really relate to either one of them but I was still invested and enjoyed their story.

I received a complimentary ARC electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, the Author, and publisher of Ballantine Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I really liked the young protagonists in this story, but I found it so jumbled, with back-and-forth in time and change of point of view with every chapter, that despite several attempts and re-reading from the beginning I was not willing to complete the book. I guess I am just too old to want to follow such a convoluted tale.

This was was hard to read due to the pressure the main character expereinced from her family and significant others about how she was supposed to live her life, and then the family's surprise that she wasn't magically happy when she didn't listen to her gut. This is not a fun story, but a cautionary tale about the pressure and expectations placed on women.

TW: abortion

ARC from publisher via NetGalley but the opinions are my own.

This book took me a long time to get into. I am not a person that typically DNFs a book. But I feel like people will DNF it early. It didn’t grab me right away. But once the story got going, I was happy that I stuck with it.

Well written book but not a fan of the story. The main characters I find self-centered and to be honest I wasn't rooting for either of them.

Plot progression was also a bit jumpy.

I had up call it quits on this book at 80% in. The first 1/4 of the book was so promising and it just all kind of went downhill fast. The minute you try to root for either Efe or Sam, they do something insufferable and you’re left back at square one. The editor should have trimmed this down by at least 75 pages and tightened up the plot. I’m baffled that this went through multiple stages of revisions and no one said, hey these characters actually are terrible people and serve no purpose other than showing the reader they suck.

So absolutely excited to be a part of arc team for this one I thought this was a very appropriately written book and I recommended for all women

✨𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 by Krystle Zara Appiah✨

▪️ 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 is a book rooted in disruption, chaos, and miscommunication. Sam and Efe had no business being together, especially not in a serious relationship or marriage. Expectations and traditions ruin marriages and families. While clay is malleable, people are not, which is Sam’s flaw. Efe wants to be well-liked and perfect for everybody and she cannot. Lastly, the idea of mothering and motherhood is quite controversial in the book. Motherhood is not a paradise for all women and a woman is not wayward if she chooses another path.

▪️ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲: Appiah wants readers to know that “love should be enough.” The book encourages us to look at the ways women must endure so much and then be applauded for their strength. Instead of realizing like Nanadwoa’s admission that “people—even the ones who love you—can be a weight around your neck.” Women shouldn’t have to give up their life to breathe to make others happy.

▪️𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: Of course, I did. Thanks to @libby.app and @prhaudio for the free listen. Narrators Clifford Samuel and Diana Yekinni deliver hard subjects about motherhood, parenthood, marriage, and life that uproot the core of comfort and security readers may be alarmed to hear. The audiobook is great in providing a parallel in the dual POV between Sam and Efe’s characterization, but I find both of them insufferable at times. I’m not sure how authentic the Ghanaian accents are here, but they work for me as a non-native speaker. I listened to 75% of the book solely on audio and the remainder was read with the physical copy. The audiobook is always a great addition.

▪️𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

▪️𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱: For readers of contemporary fiction, women’s fiction, African fiction, and topics surrounding mental health, postpartum depression, and family dynamics.

▪️𝗙𝗬𝗜: The ending was utterly unnecessary. I gasped, cursed, and pushed my book away.