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  • God's Children Are Little Broken Things

  • By: Arinze Ifeakandu
  • Narrated by: Mirron Willis
  • Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars (6 ratings)

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God's Children Are Little Broken Things

By: Arinze Ifeakandu
Narrated by: Mirron Willis
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Summary

These nine stories of queer male intimacy brim with simmering secrecy, ecstasy, loneliness and love in their depictions of what it means to be gay in contemporary Nigeria.

A man revisits the university campus where he lost his first love, aware now of what he couldn't understand then. A daughter returns home to Lagos after the death of her father, where she must face her past - and future - relationship with his longtime partner. A young musician rises to fame at the risk of losing himself, and the man who loves him.

Generations collide, families break and are remade and lovers find their ways to futures - from childhood through adulthood; on university campuses, city centres and neighbourhoods where church bells mingle with the morning call to prayer.

©2022 Arinze Ifeakandu (P)2022 Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Critic reviews

"Although he writes about queer lives and loves in Nigeria, Arinze Ifeakandu's voice is sensually alert to the human and universal in every situation. These quietly transgressive stories are the work of a brilliant new talent." (Damon Galgut, Booker prize winner for The Promise )

"These stories are written with raw tender grace. They dramatize what love is like in a time when love is under siege.... It is clear from this book that a serious literary talent has emerged." (Colm Tóibín, author of The Magician)

"These are heartbreaking stories of love and loss.... Ifeakandu is a writer of lyricism and profundity at the beginning of a brilliant career." (Edmund White, author of A Saint from Texas)

What listeners say about God's Children Are Little Broken Things

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Heart warming

Loved most of the stories. as they reflected the challenges people face in all walks of life. The occasional use of native languages, lent authenticity to the dialogue but, for me, got in the way of fully grasping what was going on.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Debut

I really enjoyed this book, evocative, romantic and most of all, the stories felt like "normal" love, trysts in the middle of difficulties. Young people and self discovery etc. "Normal" because love is love, right, it hurts, thrills and hopes the same. I'm really proud of Arinze and I'm excited about what else he's got to come.

One minor gripe, I wish the book was read by an Igbo speaking Nigerian. Some of the phrases in Pidgin weren't read with the right tone and the Igbo was read as one would English. It's a minor gripe but it would have added a lot more to the experience!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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Bad Narrator

I didn't listen to the sample audio before purchasing this book and I really wish I had. None of the Nigerian words were pronounced correctly and it made it very hard to listen to the book. I enjoyed the 3rd story but the rest took me weeks to finish. I really wish Nigerian authors would use Nigerian narrators for their book. anything else just pulls away from the story.

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