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Stay with Me

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Stay with Me

By: Ayobami Adebayo
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
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About this listen

Winner of the 9 Mobile Prize for Literature

Shortlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction

Shortlisted for the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize

Longlisted for the 2018 International Dylan Thomas Prize

This Nigerian debut is the heartbreaking tale of what wanting a child can do to a person, a marriage and a family.

Yejide is hoping for a miracle, for a child. It is all her husband wants, all her mother-in-law wants, and she has tried everything. But when her relatives insist upon a new wife, it is too much for Yejide to bear.

Unravelling against the social and political turbulence of 1980s Nigeria, Stay with Me is a story of the fragility of married love, the undoing of family, the power of grief, and the all-consuming bonds of motherhood. It is a tale about the desperate attempts we make to save ourselves, and those we love, from heartbreak.

©2017 Ayobami Adebayo (P)2017 Canongate Books Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Marriage Heartfelt Africa

Critic Reviews

"Scorching, gripping, ultimately lovely." (Margaret Atwood)
"This terrific first novel (shortlisted for the Baileys women's prize for fiction) deals with the daily stresses of living with the political upheavals of the time but the real drama is happening in Yejide's womb. Adebayo unfolds the many layers of truth with insight and skill." (The Times)
"A thoroughly contemporary style that is all her own...clever and funny...despite the intense sadness of her subject matter, she has produced a bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit, as well as the damage done by the boundlessness of male pride." (Guardian)
All stars
Most relevant  
loved the different male/female perspectives as the story unravelled and loved the narrative and accent

emotional rollercoaster

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What a fabulous story, so many unexpected pathways were explored with beautiful attention to cultural details.

The narration was enthralling & really brought the story to life.

Simply wonderful ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An absorbing read!

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