Member Reviews

Rootless is a captivating, emotional journey of a book that tugged at my divorced-mama heartstrings like nothing I’ve read recently. I thought the author did an amazing job balancing the perspectives of our protagonists and keeping the character arcs and narrative cohesive while also capturing the sometimes volatile, chaotic, strained journey they were on. I massively enjoyed this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc. I also bought a hard copy for my own collection I loved it so much!

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This is a book that I just can't stop thinking about ever since reading it! In the end, this book tore me apart!  I sympathized with Efe so much because it seemed as if all she wanted was help, and even after asking for it, she couldn't get it.  She tried and tried at every turn and found herself defeated even after giving her all.  Sam was great in the beginning, but I was annoyed at the fact that he kept disregarding Efe’s feelings and wasn’t really listening.  This is a very emotional book on belonging that keeps you invested in the main characters’ upbringing, her well-being, and how she is moving in the world.  This book will have you gripped up until the very end!

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Oh this novel. It was so good! I really appreciated the careful thought put into these characters and the way the story unfolded was excellent. Efe pulled at my heart like I couldn't believe.

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This was a difficult one for me to review. I kept waiting to feel for Sam and Efe. They just didn't grab my affections, and, in fact, I was mostly annoyed with the way they handled some of their struggles. I don't know, maybe it's me or the time I read it, but I just didn't connect with them. With a story that's this much character-driven, that's essential for a reader - to feel the characters, to understand them, even if they are very different (especially if they're very different in very different circumstances).

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read it!

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I loved Rootless and how it led us into Eve’s head. I’m a sucker for a book that starts at the end and leads us to how we got there. This book did exactly that. Started us with Eve’s childhood and then how Sam and her fell in love. I also appreciated how we got to see how familial expectations played a role in their lives.

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I read this book because I loved learning about the culture of Ghana in another debut book, Maame, by Jessica George. Because I’d read that one and loved it, I was prepared to meet more multidimensional characters and fascinating settings with the same type of background. In that regard, I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the characters. Efe whose childhood trauma shaped her adult choices and ability to make decisions and speak up for herself. Her husband, Sam, whose own childhood was marred by the abandonment of his mother. These characters were faced with the same problems most young people starting out face: financial, work life balance and the shift of responsibility that happens when children come along. I never doubted that Sam and Efe loved each other, even when they individually sought relationships with others. But once their daughter was born, they seemed to stop listening or hearing each other. Sam wanted a traditional family. Efe couldn’t overcome her PPD and disconnect in a way that let her give that to him.
Without giving away the wonderful plotting and weaving of the characters in their dual locations of London and Ghana, I must confess that the ending ruined this book for me. The author had the skill…she showed it throughout the novel, to deal with a complicated ending, and in my opinion, she just didn’t. As a reader, I was insulted. I felt too invested in the characters and the way they worked through issues to accept the ending choice of the author. That’s why I’m not giving my usual 5 star. Maybe she’ll get a chance to do a script for the movie version and can rewrite it! I hope so.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine for the review copy. The book is available now.

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*Honest Moment* I definitely didn’t finish this book. I picked it up and it just was a little slow for me. I struggled with it, so I just figured this is a book I should put back on the shelf and return to it at a later time.

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I found this read to move a bit slower than I would like but a good read overall. The journey that Efe took throughout the book was enjoyable. I liked the setup based upon dates. The book allows you to evaluate each character and their choices and ascertain whether they were in fact right or wrong in said choices.

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I'm hovering between a 3 and 4-star rating. Rootless captivated me from the first page as it used the formula of setting up the story's climax early on. This method forces the reader (me) to dive further into the world orchestrated by Krystle Zara Appiah, hoping to understand how things came to be.

This past year has been quite the rollercoaster for me. My personal life didn't allow me to read as much as I WANTED to. My life had taken hold of me and didn't allow me time for... me. I promised to myself that when I did have the time to read I would try to focus on inclusivity. Why you ask?

Because inclusivity pisses off so many people.

Allow me a paragraph or so to rant... or rather, unload my thoughts. I always feel like Goodreads is a safe space since I don't expect anything I review to get many looks... anyway... I decided this year I'd be more inclusive. Much of my favorite reads are written by white men, who feature white men as heroes, in a world that's primarily full of white privilege. You know the type. An any man who's faced with impossible odds yet is not worried by the lack of funds in the bank. This every man has resources many can only dream of having. This imbalance led me to make an effort to expand and be more inclusive.

Rootless by Appiah fit the bill. Surprisingly, not in the way I expected.

Rootless opens with Sam's frantic search of his wife. His wife, Efe, has abandoned him and their toddler, Olivia, without a word. With Sam determined to find his wife, the story transitions to laying the background that leads Sam and Efe to this place we've come to meet them.

Efe and Sam are the epitome of that love story many of us have fabricated in our minds after watching Dawson's Creek, Boy Meets World, or even Family Matters. You all know, the stories that kept us enthralled knowing that these platonic best friends would some how find love with each other.

Efe and Sam don't disappoint. They eventually find each other (romantically) and begin this journey of... turmoil.

Appiah describes Rootless as a novel featuring two adults experiencing an unexpected pregnancy, similarly to a teenage pregnancy. Yet, this novel is so much more. Smack dab in the middle of a battle for women's rights is taking place in America, Rootless offers another perspective.

These characters have roots in Ghana yet their stories sound the same. In particular Efe, who feels like her life has been railroaded by an unwanted pregnancy. I'm trying not to give too much away but there are moments Efe is hard to like. Yet, she speaks to me. As a woman in my late 30's that has no children (nor wants any), I'm on Efe's side.

But I know there's Sam... and his feelings...

Ultimately, I enjoyed reading Appiah's Rootless/i>. This novel that's well written with fully fleshed-out characters kept me invested. I think this novel would be best approached in a book club setting as there are many themes that can't be overlooked or dismissed.

Copy provided by Random House Publishing via Netgalley

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Efe's story is heartbreaking. She is rootless because she is never truly HOME in her native Ghana or in her adopted home of London. She went on a journey throughout that I never expected so kudos for the author for taking her there and exploring what it meant to be a woman, a wife, and a mother in Efe's shoes. Toward the end (no spoilers here), "She understands. For almost two decades home has been a place shifting under her feet; she forever feels that if she took one step too far the world could topple, her life shatter into pieces." And upon this realization she says, "[Why do we] Measure a woman's strength by the amount she is able to endure?" These two realizations really sum up the novel. While I wasn't thrilled with the ending, I was moved by it and by the novel in general. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me an ARC to read before publication. I am sure it will be a big hit when it comes out next week.

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This was a difficult read. I didn't initially relate to any of the characters, except for not fitting in. I think everyone has had the occasion where they find themselves in a group they don't feel is for them. Efe finds herself there most of her life.

At one point, I did find myself paying closer attention. I think it was when the couple found themselves expecting a baby. Yes, I was raised during the 50s and 60s. Women were to be barefoot, pregnant, and happy about it. Well, throwing up and being tired all the time didn't fit with how I was supposed to feel. Cultural expectations and my own clashed as women's lib was showing that we had choices. Too late for me. I was already entirely indoctrinated.

Still, after the babies were born, I found they taught me all I needed. They knew how to do the baby parts, and I learned the mama parts. I know for a fact that I was fortunate. Being a mom isn't built into our genes. No more than being a dad comes with the part he played in the baby-making. And they have had their share of expectations. Now smush those ideas and realities into play, and every marriage and parenting situation brings challenges no one expected.

Efe and Sam come into parenting the same way, full of expectations and realities that don't fit the stories they were supposed to believe. I can see how poor Efe and other pregnant women can feel the way they do. There can be no normal with mental and emotional issues in the mix. Each person has to learn their way. Here is an excellent story to show how understanding your partner, even when you don't show what love is. Efe does her best out of love. Sam does his best out of love. Yet, the story doesn't go according to expectations. I feel like I want to give everyone a hug and move on. No amount of talking can help the emotional issues at hand.

By the way, as indifferent as I felt at the beginning of the book, I suggest having the Kleenex handy. I was in shock and had difficulty sleeping after the story ended.

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I'm still crying a little as I write this as the ending is so unexpected! It is the story of Sam and wife, Efe whose lives intersect and then the trajectory of their lives goes awry. There are two settings: London and Ghana; the novel shows us each as Sam and Efe make their own history as Efe gives birth to Olivia. But anyone who's ever been a parent knows how difficult that can be and sometimes it feels like obstacles are insurmountable when one tries to balance parenthood and career choices. So prepare yourself for an incredibly moving story that you won't forget anytime soon...but keep the tissues handy as it's hard to find an even keel in these rough waters!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

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Krystle Appiah’s debut novel, Rootless, had a strong beginning. I could not turn the page quick enough. Sam’s wife, Efe, has disappeared leaving four-year-old Olivia and her husband Sam. Sam discovers that Efe has charged 1,300 pounds to British Airways. Her sister knows nothing. I thought this is a book that I can definitely keep turning pages. The author then takes us back twenty years to discover what lead up to Efe wanting to leave her husband and her daughter. The book soon began to drag for me. Each chapter heading let the reader know how many years ago the chapter took place, and time moved forward slowly. I feel the author had Efe and the other characters have way too many issues. I began to feel that reading was a chore to keep everything straight. I think this book might have worked for me if it had two first person narrators rather than using third person. My thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for an an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

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Im not bias or anything lol but rooting for African authors especially Ghanaian authors always! Its rare to see my people written about in this way and I was just engrossed!! Absolutely stunning!!

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Rootless is a very intimate look into love, marriage and parenthood. The chapters alternated between the husband and wife Efe, and counted down from 19 years before until the defining event. Their story took place between London and Ghana.
Theirs was a marriage between best friends. The marriage and relationship are strained when they have a child although Efe has said she does not want to be a mother. My heart hurt for her as she struggled with postpartum depression and no longer recognized her life. Her husband is going to medical school and is not at all in tune with how she is struggling.
Efe makes a decision that changes their family and marriage forever. Are her actions forgivable and can their love survive? It is a deep meditation on the sacrifices that can be asked of partners and parents.

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This book stressed me from beginning to end. It was written beautifully, but I’ve never been more frustrated with a main character the way I was with Efe. On one hand I felt for her deeply, even when I didn’t 100% understand some of her conflict, I didn’t want to minimize her issues. But my goodness…

Nothing prepared me for the way things turned out. I definitely never saw that coming even through all the conflict. This book definitely made me reflect on the way I communicate with my love ones. You have to mindful of the things you say and how you project your feelings onto other people. All in all, I didn’t hate but the way Efe frustrated me throughout the story stopped me from loving it.

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I thought I would really love this book, but never found a connection to the characters. The cover of the book is gorgeous and I was intrigued by the premise, but the execution was not there for me. The story just always felt disjointed to me and I never found a flow with the story. 3 stars ⭐️ for me. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.

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4.5 stars rounded up

This book snatched off little pieces of my heart as I read, until I ended up with only a pile of shattered heart remains by the end. And while that might seem like a negative review, it isn’t.

This novel was life: terror, sorrow, love, joy, friendship, anguish, family, separation, conflict, yearning, and ambition. As a woman existing in this world and a self-aware reluctant parent, boy did I ache for the characters in much of this story.

This beautifully-written and creative novel will take you on a journey. It will be hard, but it will be thoughtful and touching. And I think you will think about this a lot after it concludes. Strong recommend.

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I overall enjoyed the story told in this book. I feel like it hit on a lot of things that aren't really talked about when it comes to being a mom. I definitely struggled with the pacing of this book but I easily connected with Efe and her struggles throughout the story. At times it was hard watching Efe and Sam navigate all the complications that came with their life together and I found myself, on more than one occassion, wanting to jump in and protect Efe from people who weren't seeing her and her needs for what they were. Ultimately, this book is very emotional but I feel like Efe's story is a necessary one. One of my bookclub members said this book could definitely be considered a cautionary tale and I completely agree. Efe's story could've ended differently if she had been seen and understood the way she deserved to be.

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Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah is a gorgeous debut exploring commitment, belonging, and motherhood. Efe and Sam met as young kids headed to University when Efe made the long trip to move from Ghana to the UK. We meet them again 10 years later where they are every bit the picture perfect family expect that Efe has disappeared. Sam is panicked and discovers that she is 5,000 miles away - back to her roots. What follows is their journey back to themselves and the lives that serve them best.

Overall, this is a thought provoking and moving debut! I highly recommend to all readers, especially those who love family or interpersonal dramas. I think this will be perfect for bookclubs!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC, Rootless is out now!

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