Rootless, Krystle Zara Appiah
Rootless, Krystle Zara Appiah
List: $22.50 | Sale: $15.75
Club: $11.25

Rootless

Author: Krystle Zara Appiah

Narrator: Clifford Samuel, Diana Yekinni

Unabridged: 13 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/07/2023


Synopsis

WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • A provocative debut novel about a marriage in crisis that asks the question: Can you ever be rooted in a home that’s on the brink of collapse?

“Beautiful, gripping, and tender . . . a powerful and unforgettable meditation on love, belonging, and motherhood.”—Emilia Hart, author of Weyward

On a spring afternoon in London, Sam races up the stairs of his flat two at a time. There’s £1,300 missing from the bank account he shares with his wife, Efe, and his calls are going straight to voicemail. When he finally reaches someone, he learns that Efe is over four thousand miles away, as their toddler looks around and asks, “Where’s Mummy?”

When Efe and Sam met as teens headed for university, it seemed that everyone knew they were meant to be. Efe, newly arrived in the UK from Ghana and sinking under the weight of her parents’ expectations, found comfort in the focused and idealistic Sam. He was stable, working toward a law career, and had an unwavering vision for their future—a vision Efe, now a decade later, finds insufferable. From the outside, they’re the picture-perfect couple everyone imagined, but there are cracks in the frame.

Faced with a life-altering decision, Efe and Sam find themselves on opposing sides, forced to confront just how radically different they want their lives to be. Then one day, Efe disappears. Rootless is a heartrending story about sacrifice, family, and ambition, providing an intimate look at what happens after a marriage collapses—and if it can still be saved.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rosh ~catching up slowly~ on March 21, 2023

In a Nutshell:Supposed to be a story about a ‘British-Ghanaian marriage in crisis’. Turned out to be a story about two self-centered individuals who don’t know what marriage or parenthood means. Shallow unlikeable characters and jumpy plot development make this a ‘rootless’ novel, struggling to dis......more

Goodreads review by BookOfCinz on September 09, 2023

BLOWN AWAY! What an unforgettable debut novel! Let me tell you, this book will be on every list come 2023. I truly cannot believe this is a debut novel, it is well written, filled with characters you cannot help but cheer for, who are going through relatable things. I cannot recommend Rootless enou......more

Goodreads review by Laura on December 19, 2024

I’m overwhelmed with so many emotions right now Rootless is a compelling provocative story following the lives of Efe and Sam. The two have been best friends for years until they decide to embark on a fling that soon turns to marriage then to starting a family. Problem is Efe and Sam are just two dif......more

Goodreads review by Tina on April 28, 2023

OMFG. That’s it. That’s the review.......more

Goodreads review by scthoughts on January 22, 2025

If you are currently (or in the past) going through a rough journey regarding having children and mental health or self-harm, then I highly suggest that you proceed with caution. Even though I'm not a reader who has a great fondness over stories with extended conversations of pregnancy, I surprising......more


Quotes

“A beautiful, gripping, and tender novel . . . Efe and Sam felt heartbreakingly real—I was utterly invested in their relationship, from heady teenage courtship to the challenges of parenthood. Vividly set in London and Accra, Rootless is a powerful and unforgettable meditation on love, belonging, and motherhood.”—Emilia Hart, author of Weyward

“The unswerving exploration of marriage, parenthood, and identity in Rootless is brave, insightful, and heartbreaking. . . . A moving debut novel.”—Rachel Edwards, author of Lucky
 
“One mark of a great novel is the emotions its characters elicit within us. Rootless is a character-driven narrative which, from page one, welcomes you in, leads you to your seat, and buckles you in for the journey. Sam and Efe are the epitome of messy, infuriating, and lovable, their romance constantly driving them apart and pulling them back together. They war. They repent. They fly their mistakes like flags. That is the beauty of Appiah’s work—humanity is on display on every single page. Rootless is a beautifully honest exploration of the complexities of motherhood, marriage, family, and love. It is a novel not to be missed!”—Onyi Nwabineli, author of Someday, Maybe

“This exploration of love, loss, and motherhood is tender, powerful, and almost unbearably moving.”—Louise O’Neill, author of Idol

Rootless is a deeply felt novel about the making, unmaking, and remaking of self, family, and home. Krystle Zara Appiah writes with tenderness and grace of her characters’ attempts at being seen and loved for who they are rather than who others may wish them to be. Full of romance as well as terrible grief, Rootless enthralled me from the start.”—Ilana Masad, author of All My Mother’s Lovers

Rootless lays bare the pain of motherhood in ways we rarely allow ourselves to face. Efe’s tragic story will stay with readers long after they finish turning pages, as Appiah makes us think about motherhood, womanhood, and marriage in ways we don’t often discuss.”—Donna Freitas, author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano

“Wow, wow, wow! My jaw is on the floor and my heart is in my throat. Rootless is a beautiful, emotional rollercoaster. I want everyone to read it.”—Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?

“Heart-wrenching . . . While Appiah’s debut is harrowing and terribly sad, readers will empathize with Efe as she searches for hope in spite of her burdens.”Booklist

“An expansive and rich saga of a British Ghanaian woman balancing familial expectations with her own desires . . . This cosmopolitan work will speak to readers.”Publishers Weekly