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Love in Color by Bolu Babalola
Genre: Romance | 304 Pages | Published: 4.13.21 by William Morrow
Book Jacket Synopsis:
A high-born Nigerian goddess, who has been beaten down and unappreciated by her gregarious lover, longs to be truly seen.
A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company, and an even greater one in her love life.
A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family’s politics or be true to her heart.
In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places.
With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres.
Book Links: Amazon | Bookshop.org
Favorite Quotes
- ” A fish does not recognize its need for water until it is gasping for air.
- “I believed the story I sculpted because I had to. The alternative was that I had lost control of my own narrative, that our story was spilling beyond my set limits, that it may not have a limit. It would be out of my hands; I would not be able to protect myself. That was something I refused to allow.”
- “So, what was our beginning? When we first met? When we first fell in love? But falling in love is continuous and perpetual, an activity that abides under the aegis of capital-letter Love.”
Review & Thoughts
Love in Color was an enjoyable collection of diverse romance stories by debut author Bolu Babalola. I’m not usually a fan of short stories but this one sounded a bit unique. The stories were all about romance and though they all had different storylines, timelines, and locations, all had a common theme. Each story focused on different aspects of love yet they all focused on the female lead. Each story found a way to feature the time proven fact that love is found with someone that sees you, that appreciates and honors you, that loves you for you.
The stories are about loving and allowing yourself to be loved by that person that truly sees you. It’s about following your ambitions and knowing what speaks to your soul, what speaks to your heart. I tried to read the stories slowly to savor one at a time but I just kept eating them up and found myself devouring the book quickly, which unfortunately meant some of the stories blended for me and I lost track of which story held which storyline.
I’m still not a big fan of short story collections or anthologies but I would absolutely recommend this one. I’m hoping that Bolu Babalola will have a full length fiction or romance novel in the future but even if she doesn’t I’d definitely snap up her next set of stories anyway. I enjoyed her strong voice and focus on important topics. Do yourself a favor and go get yourself a copy!
Recommend for: Fans of short stories & romance | My Review Rating: ♥♥♥♥.5
Book Format & Source: Hardback via Book Club Girl & the Publisher. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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