Black Sunday

4/5 stars

Thank you to Catapult for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Babike and Ariyike experience their lives change when their parents divorce and their household dissolves. They and their younger brother are placed in the care of their grandmother, a woman reluctant to raise them. Each must find a way to survive in the world and slowly lose each other in the process.

Black Sunday was a powerful read for me. It follows the perspectives of the four children: the sisters, and their younger brothers, Peter and Andrew. Each had different experiences and I could sense their internal struggles of finding their unique place in the world while trying to remain connected to their family. The story jumps in time to cover two decades. I was satisfied with the character development that could occur with the format of the story—it was like reading short anecdotes that eventually came together to create a fuller picture.

I had to take several breaks from reading this. All readers should be aware that sexual assault and abuse were prevalent throughout the story. Some instances were more “subtle”, while others were graphic and required me to put the book down for some time.

I did not expect a happy story. Black Sunday could be depressing at times, but more importantly, it showed the true resistance and grit of four children figuring out how to survive in an unjust world.