One of the many reasons I read is to better understand the world but it's also to better understand myself. Other times it's to try and escape.

Marie-Claire’s dexterous depictions of depression, anxiety and compulsive/ritualistic behaviours are beautifully balanced with doses of warmth, humour and hope. There is an honesty to her writing, which makes it both relatable and truly profound. No-one in this book is entirely perfect and no-one in this book is entirely evil. Because people aren't. Amuah has captured what it is to be human so, so well, even down to the brief moments we see the clients Stella represents as a barrister. And, regardless of her flaws and regardless of the situations we see her walk into as a naive young woman, I so rooted for Stella. Because of this, there is also an element of grief and mourning that takes place but not the the usual way that we associate it. It's more about the loss of the people they COULD have been, the lives they COULD have lived and finding ways of accepting what is. Beautiful, engaging, thoroughly engaging and storytelling about growing up, betrayal and finding your community….

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And then, what it means to be a loving parent in one situation, and extremely violent in another, how a child learns and inherits trauma that plays out years and years after it takes root. The muscle memory emotions can carry inside you.

I admired Amuah's brave creative choices in language and style, Stella’s voice evolves with her as she grows, and reflects her state of mind, I found the effect to be authentic and powerful. A highly emotive and thought-provoking story. It is one of those rare, therapeutic reads an immersive story that will visit the memories of your and your parent's childhoods, reaching you on a deep and visceral level. It was refreshing as hell to meet so many multifaceted people (Mum/Nurse Florence). That was one of the things that made it so relatable, realistic and sooo conflicted. NYT talks to Jim Cullen, author of Bridge and Tunnel Boys: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century(Rutgers Univ.).Things I liked: The survival story of Stella is very beautiful and inspiring. Though the story centres on abuse and dealing with trauma, it also gave me a sweet survival and success story which filled me with hope. LitHubinterviews John Manuel Arias, author of Where There Was Fire(Flatiron), on decolonial storytelling and the multi-generational family novel. A raw, emotionally astute novel that pays homage to friendship, hope, courage and the resilience of the human spirit. I was not ready for how bowled over I would be by this book. Reading it alongside a handful of great friends really added to my experience. We all fell in love with Stella, and we were genuinely rooting for her from beginning to end. I felt genuinely protective of her and emotionally invested. It was sometimes hard to believe that Stella was a fictional character and that is a true testament to Amuah's poignant writing.

I'm often astounded by debut novels and how the talent authors possess and Marie-Claire Amuah is no different. I read this book just in disbelief that it's a debut because its honestly a masterpiece. LitHubshares “ Everything You Need to Know About Groundbreaking Queer Feminist Science Fiction Writer Joanna Russ.” Characters that seem to be favoured and cherished, only to reveal that they were constantly paralysed with fear. This book made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me love and root for the main character, but it ultimately made me root for myself. An absolute gem. Dysfunctional family dynamics - Sol is now caring for their father who become paralysed on the right side of his body.

Books by Marie-Claire Amuah

Summary: Stella is a smart and brilliant child of her Ghanaian parents in London. She and her mother are abused by her “angry” father. He beats her for being “in-so-lent” and her mother and older brother Sol do not intervene. To aggravate the situation, Stella has Addison Disease which affects her energy and mood. Friendship, school and touching wood are the ways Stella survive all this terrible situation in her life. Her mother finally finds the courage to leave the marriage and set herself free. Though her past still haunts her, Stella takes on life and finds friendships to heal the wounds. I loved that inter-generational abuse is explored and how we were parented ultimately affects how we parent, and how there is often resentment to other family members who maybe have been on the lesser end of receiving the violence and guilt that we were put into that situation at all. We meet characters that are able to be loving and nurture the things that want to grow with one hand, while using the other to cause utter devastation.