Okay, so I’ve never actually reviewed a book. So this, right here, is my first time doing it.
I’m sure its going to be awkward as hell, probably painful and definitely uncomfortable. But you know what they say, you never forget your first *insert winky emoji*
Anyhoo here goes nothing:
I did not buy this book. Funny story, it quite literally fell into my lap.
Ah, how I wish this would happen every single hour. *Sigh* #booknerdproblems
Pssssst, if anyone says I stole this book, I will deny it to my grave. #morebooknerdproblems
I have been a big Abidemi Sanusi fan since the book Kemi’s journal. Kemi’s journal is basically a Christian version of Bridget Jones Diary.. Its an awesome book…find it, read it.
Eyo is a story of a ten year old African girl, from Nigeria, who is trafficked to London with the promise of a better life and well a whole bunch of stuff happens to her.
Its a story that shades light on the twin issues of human trafficking and sex slavery.
See the people who are supposed to protect her are the ones that take advantage of her. Her mother, father, the ‘uncle’ who takes her to London and all the other characters in the book. (Wait, is this a spoiler? Its a spoiler, my bad).
The ending is left up in the air which was disappointing but also very real. This is probably because life is not always the happy ending that we escape into books for.
Abidemi Sanusi managed to weave a story that is very socially relevant but also very eye opening. It’s a fictional story based on many true stories. And it makes perfect sense that Abidemi would write something as complex as Eyo seeing as she has worked as a social worker and therefore has seen and heard, first hand, the horror stories concerning child trafficking and sex slavery.
The life that Eyo lives is sadly the life that many a girl goes through. Each of the characters around Eyo that shape her perceptions, by taking advantage of her, have their own reasons for doing so. Abidemi presents you with facts and let’s you decide whether you’ll like the character or not. All the thoughts and the motivations of the characters are very well documented which is quite a feat considering its a 346 page book.
The promise of a better life keeps us going but sometimes said better life does not always come.
This is a story of courage, despair, heartbreak, resilience and hope. And you’ll definitely shed a tear or more.
Verdict: Not for the faint of heart but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND
awesome