Set before, during and after the Second World War, this story is narrated by Obi as he grows up in a village in Nigeria. He falls in love with Rose, a girl in his village. Obi is happy with his life, destined to be a farmer, but when Rose is chosen to continue secondary education and he is not he starts to question his lack of ambition and joins the army.
From then on, Obi only has occasional contact with Rose and other friends from the village. As the war approaches life becomes harder and eventually the army sends the African units to Burma. Rose remains always on Obi's mind wherever he goes.

This is a love story which Roseanna Amaka has set against the backdrop of life in Nigeria under colonial rule and its impact on the ordinary people of Nigeria. It opened my eyes to an aspect of history I had never known or really appreciated before. If I'm honest the last few chapters dragged a bit but for the most part I really enjoyed the story and felt great sympathy for Obi as he struggled to find his place in life.

I so wanted to love this book but at the most I found it an ok read. The narrator I felt was very very preachy and what could have been an interesting story turned into a history lesson.

This was an incredible read that was well written extrely well with a captivating storyline and well develped characters. This was a powerful and poignant novel that is heartbreaking at times. I couldn't put it down and I am still thiking about it after it has finished. I can't wait to read more by this author

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the invitation to read this ARC.

I thought this was a very well written, poignant and heartbreaking read at times. It follows two characters Obi and Rose from their childhood friendship into adult life and the story is told through Obi’s perspective. I think the author has portrayed her characters perfectly here and captured their feelings, thoughts and emotions so well. They jumped out from the pages and I could picture them in my mind when reading. This was a very engaging read, although I did think a few times it was a little too descriptive and perhaps overly long and I found myself skimming the pages in places. It was, for me, a refreshing and interesting read because of where it took place. I haven’t read any books set in Africa during WW2 and in a time of colonial rule, and I enjoyed getting a sense of what life would have been like for her characters and their families at that time. Overall a good, engaging and absorbing read and I love the author’s writing style, she writes easily and seamlessly grabbing the readers attention right from the start. If you’re a fan of historical fiction I’d recommend this.

4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a truly beautiful read.
To follow the story of Obi and Rose through childhood, then war.
The struggle post war and the search for truth.
The visual images left you feeling like you were there (although I’m very grateful not to be).
This will be an amazing read for anyone wanting to understand our history just that little bit more.