Book Review: Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro.

Blurb

Book Review: Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro.

Funmi, Enitan, and Zainab first meet at university in Nigeria and become friends for life despite their differences. Funmi is beautiful, brash, and determined; Enitan is homely and eager, seeking escape from her single mother’s smothering and needy love; Zainab is elegant and reserved, raised by her father’s first two wives after her mother’s death in childbirth.

Their friendship is complicated but enduring, and over the course of the novel, the reader learns about their loves and losses. How Funmi stole Zainab’s boyfriend and became pregnant, only to have an abortion and lose the boyfriend to police violence.

How Enitan was seduced by an American Peace Corps volunteer, the only one who ever really saw her, but is culturally so different from him–a Connecticut WASP–that raising their daughter together put them at odds. How Zainab fell in love with her teacher, a friend of her father’s, and ruptured her relationship with her father to have him.

Book details

Format: 256 pages, Hardcover

Published: June 28, 2022 by Knopf Publishing Group

ISBN: 9780593320297 (ISBN10: 0593320298)

Language: English

My Review of Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro.

I love the book title and cover and have been meaning to read it for the longest time, and so, here we are.

This book follows the lives of three best friends, Enitan, Funmi and Zainab. They are inseparable, till life happens, and they go their separate ways. And after thirty years, they must reunite at Funmi’s daughter’s wedding.

I like the fact that the story is told through the perspectives of the three friends. It helps us get an insight into their friendship and different lives.

Zainab, the beautiful Hausa girl from an academia family, has always wanted to be a playwright. Hence her studying Literature in the University. I think I like Zainab better than the other friends, because she’s sincere and kindhearted.

Book Review: Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro.

Then there’s Funmi, the show stealer of the trio. She knows what she wants and goes exactly for it.

Having grown in a turbulent and toxic family, she has learned to pave her way for herself, to do the things she likes and when she likes.

She’s also beautiful and smart. But Enitan is the less pretty and popular among the best friends. People mock her for her looks and to cap it up, she isn’t as smart as Funmi or others. But she’s warm hearted too and gentle.

Book Review: Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro.

I love their friendship, and the way the writer presented it. In a world that works overtime in pushing the narrative that women hate themselves, this book begs to differ.

It portrays this female friendship in a light that it has already transcended friendship, but now sisterhood. Even though they have their tough moments and complications, their friendship would stand the test of time.

After their university graduation, Enitan and Funmi getting their nursing certificates, and Zainab, in Literature, life changes for all of them at once.

Enitan elopes with the first man that makes a move at her, Charles to the United States. Funmi gets married to Yinka, a multi millionaire, and Zainab, to Ahmed, her father’s friend.

For Enitan, she realizes that her marriage with Charles is no longer working and she wants out.

Her daughter, Remi, is not particularly fond of her, because she feels her mother’s ideologies and beliefs stink and are outdated.

Remi is a vegan, and a firm believer of world justice and gender equality.
For Zainab, she has four sons, and since her husband’s stroke, she has turned into a full time care giver.

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Funmi’s life is different, in that she marries a stinkingly rich business man, and can afford whatever she wants, but something is missing. Her marriage lacks romance and love.

And there’s no understanding between her and her daughter, Destiny. Because she grew up with a wicked stepmother who treated her like trash, she doesn’t know how to raise her daughter properly.

So she thinks stuffing her with money is the best thing she can do for her. Funmi thinks she knows what’s best for her only daughter, but how can she know if they don’t even talk? If Destiny’s opinions aren’t ever considered?

Book Review: Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro.

When Dele proposes to Destiny, she doesn’t know if that’s what she wants. It feels forced and wrong, and everything is happening too fast. But she doesn’t know how to talk to her mother about it.

Destiny’s character is shy and people pleasing. She always does whatever would bring peace, because her opinions have never mattered.

She has a great passion for photography, but her parents think becoming a medical doctor is what’s best for her, and so, she’s in one of the best medical schools abroad.

The only adult who listens to her is Zainab. Zainab advises her to take her photography seriously, because she’s badass at it.

And Zainab is the only person who has ever asked her what she truly wants, unlike other adults.

Book Review: Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro.

The story line is great and I especially enjoyed reading it through the eyes of three different characters, but the story telling was boring to me at some point.

It’s a wonderful debut book and I applaud the writer for creating such a gem, but I really didn’t feel the ending of the book. I’d expected a more dramatic, and compelling twist.

But it just ended like I’d envisioned it would. In all, it’s a really great book, and I think y’all should check it out. I’ll rate it as 3.9/5.

Have you read the book? What do you think about it? Please share your thoughts with me in the comment section. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on all social media platforms. Thank you for visiting Bookish Pixie.