The Middle Daughter - A compelling story of resilience (Book Review)

‎Once again, I am one of those people who could be inspired by anything and everything when it comes to reading a book. It could be the title, or a particular detail about the cover, or better still, because a random person gushed about it. ‎

‎In this case, someone in my contact list posted this book on her Whatsapp status, sharing their opinions on it. I was hooked, and then decided I was going to read and see for myself what the book entailed. I did, and now, here's a review.
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‎The Middle Daughter is a book written by Chika Unigwe, that tells the story of an 18year old girl Nani. The death of Nani's sister, marks the beginning of a downturn in her once happy family. Two years following her sister's death, Nani's father dies. Although, the loss is felt by all of the family, Nani believes that her sister and mother did not mourn their father enough, before continuing with their lives. And so, she decides to rebel. ‎ ‎Her first rebellion, is entertaining a young preacher, Ezekiel right outside her compound. When she thinks it not enough punishment for her mother, she decides to spend the night out with Ezekiel. A decision that upturns her life for the worst. ‎

‎My Review
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It's been a while since I wrote a book review in this community. No thanks to work and the daily dose of exhaustion that comes with it. But today, although I'm exhausted, I decided to do this because I didn't want this to end up like the other amazing books I'd read and didn't get a chance to share with you all.
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‎This book had me on chokehold for just one reason, to be very honest. Satisfying my curiosity. Nani isn't a character I'm used to in books. If I'm actually guessing right, I've never come across someone like Nani before in a book. Nani made so many wrong decisions, and we as readers, were forced to go along with it, because even when they weren't making sense, they were making sense. She is that character that even after reading, you'd still have no idea why she endured the horrors she endured, given the opportunities she was surrounded by. I didn't understand most of it really but I felt for her. Funnily enough, I still like her as a protagonist.

‎This book wasn't a suspenseful one in anyway. Rather, it's the type you continue to read, because you have a conviction that it's end, would supercede whatever agony the book put you through. And I think that was my favourite part of the book - the end. It left me with a sense of loss, because I wasn't actually ready to let go of the characters. This book had me wishing the pages were longer, because yeahhhh, it was so good. ‎ ‎

The characters in this book were really something. From Nani, to her mother, to her sister, they were regular people living their lives with consequences of their decisions (both good and bad). But our villain, Ezekiel? He was such a handful. How could someone have such a warped view of morality, and still succeed in his relationships with people? For someone who is no novice to absurdities, thanks to years of investing in dark romance books, Ezekiel's actions were on a different level of absurd. I couldn't stand him and I wondered why a girl like Nani would choose him of all people to rebel with. One of the many questions left unanswered to this day.
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The pacing, the buildup, and almost everything about this book was written so well (excepting Nani and her decisions of course). For my rating, I'll rate this book an 8 out of 10. A worthy read it was. I'll absolutely recommend to anybody who is interested in reading. Although, I'd advise to tread carefully and pay heed to trigger warnings. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and pick up this book sooner. ‎ ‎

Thanks for reading.

Images are mine