Under The Udala Trees is a tragically heartfelt novel about finding love in the face of war and intolerance.

tw: homophobia

The story follows the life of a young Nigerian girl, Ijeoma, who grew up living the harrowing effects of the Biafran War and through an unlikely friendship later discovers that she is attracted to girls. Ijeoma's mother constantly condemns her daughter's sinful ways and Ijeoma battles wanting to live up to her mother's expectations of her but also loving freely.

This book was not without its flaws but transgenerational life stories are my calling. There's so much scope for building up character journey and growth. In this way, we got to understand how a lot of the characters have been shaped by their circumstances and have changed accordingly.

Some moments seemed to drone on a bit and there were some tangents but overall I loved the tender and heartfelt way in which the story was told. The intimate scenes were handled with care, albeit directed towards an older audience and the ending was hard-hitting such that it inspires hope.