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Happiness, Like Water
Happiness, Like Water | Chinelo Okparanta
Presents a collection of short stories centering around Nigerian women as they build lives out of hope, faith, and doubt, following such characters as a young woman faced with a dangerous decision to save her mother and a woman in love with another despite the penalties.
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8little_paws
Happiness, Like Water | Chinelo Okparanta
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Pickpick

A short story collection focusing on Nigerian women-- some in US, some in Nigeria. The themes are motherhood (wanted and unwanted), freedom of choice, relationships with parents, and domestic violence. I found the most affecting stories here to be the ones about dom. Violence and what options the women had. Same author wrote Under the Udala Trees, also excellent. Get this on Hoopla as ebook!

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amma-keep-reading
Happiness, Like Water | Chinelo Okparanta
Pickpick

Another great one from Chinelo Okparanta. I loved all the stories but there were a few unlikable characters that although necessary affected my overall rating (if that makes any sense). I still recommend this book.

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swynn
Happiness, Like Water | Chinelo Okparanta
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What a powerful collection of short stories, mostly about Nigerian women, mostly failing to find happiness or finding it ephemeral when they do: "Happiness is like water," says a character in the story "Grace." "We're always trying to grab onto it, but it's always slipping between our fingers." Lean prose and characters to ache for -- this is how you write a story.

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WhatDeeReads
Happiness, Like Water | Chinelo Okparanta
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The same gut-wrenching prose from UNDER THE UDALA TREES, but this time in a collection of short stories. The stories, except two, are unconnected. Each story centers around a woman who is grappling with pain that is indescribable.

Okparanta is a genius and is now on my autobuy list.

#ReadHarder- collection of stories by a woman

Lindy I really liked this too; preferred it to 7y
WhatDeeReads @Lindy I don't know if I prefer one or the other. 7y
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian I loved this collection too! Like Lindy I also liked it better than her novel. 7y
WhatDeeReads @CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian Hmm, maybe it's because I read it so long ago. I just recall loving it and feeling so moved and haunted by it. (edited) 7y
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quote
WhatDeeReads
Happiness, Like Water | Chinelo Okparanta

"Happiness is like water," she says. "We're always trying to grab onto it, but it's always slipping between our fingers."

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WhatDeeReads
Happiness, Like Water | Chinelo Okparanta
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This book is full of pain. These stories are so sad. Good, but sad.

Background: One of my several collectible Barbie dolls. I am serious about Barbie.

BellaBookNook Sounds good. I'm spacing my heavy books apart so I don't overwhelm myself but I will keep this one in mind. 7y
WhatDeeReads @BellaBookNook Good plan. You can also read one story then go read something else and come back to read the next. They're all unrelated so it's ok to space them out. 7y
BellaBookNook I can tell I need a break from the heavy when I keep picking up fun mystery books off my shelf! 7y
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WhatDeeReads
Happiness, Like Water | Chinelo Okparanta
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I hadn't realized that I didn't have any #smashthepatriarchy reads on my TBR, so I've added this slim collection of short stories.

Okparanta is a little underrated to me. I loved Under the Udala Trees. I'm sure this one will be just as good.

#24in48

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian I liked this short story collection even better than her novel, actually! 7y
WhatDeeReads @CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian That's great to hear, because I loved her novel. I'm in for a treat. 7y
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