Description
Description
A New York Times Notable Book
The New York Times' Critics' Top Books of the Year
Named a Best Book of the Year by San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, The Economist, Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, Southern Living, HelloGiggles, and Shelf Awareness
Huffington Post's Best Feminist Books of the Year
The New York Post's Most Thrilling and Fascinating Books of the Year
The New York Public Library's Ten Best Books of the Year "A stunning debut novel." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times This celebrated, unforgettable first novel ("A bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit." -The Guardian), shortlisted for the prestigious Women's Prize for Fiction and set in Nigeria, gives voice to both husband and wife as they tell the story of their marriage--and the forces that threaten to tear it apart. Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage--after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures--Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time--until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant. Which, finally, she does--but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay With Me asks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of family.
The New York Times' Critics' Top Books of the Year
Named a Best Book of the Year by San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, The Economist, Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, Southern Living, HelloGiggles, and Shelf Awareness
Huffington Post's Best Feminist Books of the Year
The New York Post's Most Thrilling and Fascinating Books of the Year
The New York Public Library's Ten Best Books of the Year "A stunning debut novel." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times This celebrated, unforgettable first novel ("A bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit." -The Guardian), shortlisted for the prestigious Women's Prize for Fiction and set in Nigeria, gives voice to both husband and wife as they tell the story of their marriage--and the forces that threaten to tear it apart. Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage--after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures--Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time--until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant. Which, finally, she does--but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay With Me asks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of family.
About the Author
About the Author
AYOBAMI ADEBAYO's stories have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, and one was highly commended in the 2009 Commonwealth Short Story Competition. She holds BA and MA degrees in literature in English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, and has worked as an editor for Saraba Magazine since 2009. Adebayo also has an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was awarded an international bursary for creative writing. She has received fellowships and residencies from Ledig House, Sinthian Cultural Centre, Hedgebrook, Ox-Bow School of Art, Ebedi Hills and the Siena Art Institute. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
A New York Times Notable Book - One of the Best Books of the Year: NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Chicago Tribune, BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Post, Southern Living, The Skimm A BEA Buzz Panel Selection - A Belletrist Book-of-the-Month - A Sarah Jessica Parker Book Club Selection - Shortlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction - Shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize and the 9mobile Prize for Literature - Longlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize "Powerfully magnetic. . . . In the lineage of great works by Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. . . . A thoroughly contemporary--and deeply moving--portrait of a marriage." --The New York Times Book Review "An absolute must-read and a story that will be shared for many decades to come." --Emma Roberts, Refinery29 "[A] stunning literary work [that] serves as both astute political commentary and unfolding mystery." --NPR "Scorching, gripping, ultimately lovely." --Margaret Atwood, Twitter "Powerful storytelling. . . . The story is ancient, but Adebayo imbues it with a vibrant, contemporary spirit." --San Francisco Chronicle "Wise and deeply humane. . . . A powerfully affecting tale of love, loyalty, and betrayal." --Sarah Jessica Parker "Stay With Me feels like a genre unto itself--a story that illustrates the necessity of hope and equality, but one that doesn't water down the challenges of realizing them." --Vogue
"A triumph--a complex, deeply felt exploration of love, marriage and family amid cultural and political upheaval." --Chicago Tribune
"A debut that marks the beginning of what should be a stunning career." --Goop "Gorgeous. . . . Filled with big-hearted feelings and all kinds of female strength." --Bustle
"[A] phenomenal novel. . . . Beautiful. . . . A layered story of love, sacrifice and hope . . . Adebayo's debut is undoubtedly one of the best reads of this year." --Essence
"A kind of addictive African soap opera, set against the political chaos of Nigeria in the 1980s." --People "A gut-wrenching tale of how wanting a child can wreck a woman, a marriage and a community. . . . Adebayo is surely a writer to watch." --The Economist
"Forcefully affecting. . . . Adebayo's compassionate chronicle of a fraught marriage speaks to broader national fears, making this family drama feel like an epic." --The Wall Street Journal
"Heartbreaking. . . . A story of complicated love teetering between tradition and modernity." --W Magazine "A work of intimate yet powerful--and even, at times, shocking--storytelling that will . . . make your world bigger." --Elle
"A bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit, as well as the damage done by the boundlessness of male pride." --The Guardian
"With lyrical prose, Adebayo explores how far a woman will go to save her marriage." --Real Simple
"Powerful." --BuzzFeed
"A heartbreakingly beautiful story about love, marriage, and expectation." --Southern Living
"Adebayo's prose is a pleasure: immediate, unpretentious and flecked with whip-smart Nigerian-English dialogue." --The Sunday Times (London)
"A triumph--a complex, deeply felt exploration of love, marriage and family amid cultural and political upheaval." --Chicago Tribune
"A debut that marks the beginning of what should be a stunning career." --Goop "Gorgeous. . . . Filled with big-hearted feelings and all kinds of female strength." --Bustle
"[A] phenomenal novel. . . . Beautiful. . . . A layered story of love, sacrifice and hope . . . Adebayo's debut is undoubtedly one of the best reads of this year." --Essence
"A kind of addictive African soap opera, set against the political chaos of Nigeria in the 1980s." --People "A gut-wrenching tale of how wanting a child can wreck a woman, a marriage and a community. . . . Adebayo is surely a writer to watch." --The Economist
"Forcefully affecting. . . . Adebayo's compassionate chronicle of a fraught marriage speaks to broader national fears, making this family drama feel like an epic." --The Wall Street Journal
"Heartbreaking. . . . A story of complicated love teetering between tradition and modernity." --W Magazine "A work of intimate yet powerful--and even, at times, shocking--storytelling that will . . . make your world bigger." --Elle
"A bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit, as well as the damage done by the boundlessness of male pride." --The Guardian
"With lyrical prose, Adebayo explores how far a woman will go to save her marriage." --Real Simple
"Powerful." --BuzzFeed
"A heartbreakingly beautiful story about love, marriage, and expectation." --Southern Living
"Adebayo's prose is a pleasure: immediate, unpretentious and flecked with whip-smart Nigerian-English dialogue." --The Sunday Times (London)
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Vintage
Pub date:
2018-07-10
Length:
272 pages
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