Stay with Me

By: Ayobami Adebayo

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

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

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)

GREAT STORY & NARRATOR, (MINOR RECORDING ERRORS)

THIS WAS AN ABSOLUTELY GREAT STORY AND ADOJA ANDOH DOES A GREAT JOB AT NARRATING.

This book exposes the brutality of attaching childbearing to the value of a human being. It SHATTERS so many misconceptions of how we view children, as though they were some holy talisman that, once attained, will immediately satisfy and beautify our lives. On the contrary, their birth may usher in pain so harrowing that all we endured to have them pales in comparison - as a new father, I felt this the most. Finally, I think this book is most significant for what it says about men and how much a man’s inability to accept, not his reality, can cost and cost and cost and cost and cost.
Adébáyọ̀'s use of langugae is outstanding. The creativity, not simply of her vocabulary but the brightness and aptness of her imagery, the variety of perspectives and topics presented, ensured that the story was consistently engaging to read.
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WARNING - The book addresses sexual themes and there are two instances of cursing.
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///// RECORDING ERRORS////

:( There is one sore spot for me, not related to the novel itself, but to the audio production of the book which I devoured. The pull of great audiobooks is that they bring great stories to life. The problem however with otherwise great audiobooks is that because the listener is so engaged, every error is significant. I was able to hear three (3) errors in the audio recording. I only made a note upon encountering a second error:

1) This is minor. A voice over. As stated, I didn't note this one.
2) Chapter 27/min 4:00 - a break for 9 seconds
3) Chapter 32/min 416 - there is an overlap.

Hopefully these errors will be addressed.

Tugs upon your inner soul! Raw, funny and amazingly educational. Uncharacteristic love story.

The story kicks-off with such mystery that leaves you yearning for the back story of Yejide’s escape from her past. You instantly fall in love with Akin and Yejide’s love story without having fully understood the deficiency in their marital intimacy. You instantly want to protect them from the insensitive community and bad karma that surrounded them. The flood of emotions when you think you are done with one tragedy as another strikes is uncanny. Despite the fact that I couldn’t bear another loss for them, I was found I was already too vested to stop listening.

The intellectual organization of this story leaves you in awe of the writer’s unbridled comprehension and intention to ride on the audiences’ biases. The comic relief was a surprising and a much needed touch. We needed to laugh in between the tears. Well written Ayobami. Thank you for giving us an appreciation of Nigerian culture. I felt like I was physically there.

To Adjoa- 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Such a magnificent play of voices, articulation of the accents across the demographic representation of the characters. You shone so much color and light into this journey, and transported my emotions through a roller coaster of experience. I laughed and cried a lot. You took us where where we needed to be. I thank you.

Amazing

Absolutely loved it. Unpredictable, with twists. A sad love story of marriage, family and tradition.

Taking desperate to another level

Didn't enjoy the change in voice tonality between characters but the book was lovely. Amazing the extremes this couple went through to keep their marriage and through it all neither knew.

Strong debut!

This novel has been on my to-read list since it was released and I'm so glad to have been able to get an Audible experience. Ayobami

Captivating

I really enjoyed this book. The twists in the plot is jaw dropping. A must listen!

Amazing , great page turner

Amazing I have never been so glued to a story as this one. You cannot put it down. Each chapter unraveling secrets deep twisted secrets.
You can identify with the struggles certain parts of their love. What transcends through it all is love and sacrifices that come with the burden of loving

You can’t put it down!

I enjoyed the writing, the descriptive language and all the twists and turns of the storyline.

Jaw dropper

Seemed like a Nollywood movie for a moment there. Dancing on a mountain with traditional priests until she believed she was pregnant! For 11 months her belly was distended!!!
But the twist that follows is a more interesting one. Performance is incredible! Adjoa Andoh has outdone herself in this book. I've listened to her perform Americanah which was average. In Ghana Must Go, she does a little better, but here, this is the best I've heard her yet.

A fine novel-psychologically astute

The shift in perspectives between husband and wife is expertly done and enriches the narrative. The strength of the novel is in its depiction of their relationship. My one slight disappointment was that the political/ historical background wasn't explained more fully and didn't figure more prominently.