Review of Leaving Dahomey

[ephy yunan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Leaving Dahomey" by Jude Shaw.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Adeoha is just an ordinary girl who spends her day with her best friend and stumbles from mischief to mischief. She sneaks into men's meetings and disguises herself as one of them. Sewextu is Adeoha's best friend who shares her spirit of mischief and adventure. What everyone doesn't know is that Adeoha harbors a deep passion for business. She is always calculating how she can grow her business and reach new markets. Sewextu leads her to join the Language of Drums society where she learns to see things differently. She appears to be possessed at her final dance. This is a once in a lifetime occurrence to everyone and is part of the reason why they start thinking she is the chosen one when she leaves and embarks on a trip to America with her friends Robert and Patricia to trade.
What I loved about Leaving Dahomey by Jude Shaw was the pure beauty of the Dahomean culture and how it is depicted to reveal the way of life of the people. From the dances to the gatherings to the local dialect, Leaving Dahomey was nothing short of amazing. The picturesque description was also so vivid that I found myself imagining what Dahomey is like. I was also amazed by the fact that every single event in the novel was woven together to present a beautiful ending. The characters were also as relatable as they were memorable. From Adeoha's strong will to Sewextu's fun-loving spirit, to Tumbutu's wisdom, it was an entire journey. There were also several plot twists which kept me on edge.
What I did not like about Leaving Dahomey was that there were a few instances where the stories within a story are told at the expence of the plot. While the stories are enjoyable, they also appear to pull the reader's focus from the plot itself. It's probably also not helpful that there are many stories. I also felt like the usage of local dialect was over the top in some instances.
I would rate the book 2 out of 4 stars because although I loved the story, it was riddled with a few errors. I did not give it a higher rating because I felt it could have been better edited. Overally, I really loved the book.
I would recommend the book to any lover of Historical fiction and any audiences above the age of thirteen. This book would also suit students of all walks and I hope they love it as much as I did.

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Leaving Dahomey
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