Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
On the surface, Niru leads a charmed life. Raised by two attentive parents in Washington, D.C., he’s a top student and a track star at his prestigious private high school. Bound for Harvard in the fall, his prospects are bright. But Niru has a painful secret: he is queer—an abominable sin to his conservative Nigerian parents. No one knows except Meredith, his best friend, the daughter of prominent Washington insiders—and the one person who seems not to judge him.
When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay, the fallout is brutal and swift. Coping with troubles of her own, however, Meredith finds that she has little left emotionally to offer him. As the two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them, they find themselves speeding toward a future more violent and senseless than they can imagine. Neither will escape unscathed.
This book is a tale about self discovery mixed with tragedy…a coming of age story mixed with social commentary on race, gender, sexuality, and systemic inequities.
This is a multi perspective novel, told from two teenage character’s points of view….Niru, a teenage boy, and his longtime friend Meredith, a teenage girl.
Niru’s story is one of navigating cultural, religious and familial expectations as a young, first generation Nigerian American male son.
His tale is one of great internal struggles….wanting to change himself to fit into all the “expected” boxes placed upon him by parents, elders and religious leaders while at the very same time wanting the freedom to break free of it all and explore who he really feels he is deep inside.
He experiences his first crush and first stirs of desire….the awkwardness and awesomeness of it all….but it goes against everything his family and his religion taught him was “right”.
He doesn’t agree with their teachings and doesn’t believe they are correct…but it is tough for him to find and voice his OWN thoughts and feelings and beliefs.
Niru is also dealing with toxic, hateful and inaccurate racial stereotypes all around him…at school, around town, even with his own friends and teammates….which has a devastating and life changing effect on him.
Meredith’s story is one of unrequited love, friendships, unacknowledged self privilege, and extremely tragic misunderstandings.
Her perspective on life and events and social surroundings is so very different than Niru’s, at times having a very drastic effect on their friendship and the support she is able to give him.
Most of the book is told from Niru’s POV. It is an emotional read on both sides, for very different reasons.
You will feel A PLETHORA of feelings….different ones depending on who you are reading…and you will finish this book feeling like you truly have felt them ALL.
SUCH a well written, engaging, thought provoking, tragic and timely read.
HIGHLY recommend.
**Trigger warning: incidences of violence and abuse against the Black male body are in these pages, so proceed with caution if needed**