Dele Weds Destiny is one of those friends-from-college-reuniting-as-adults books that I usually like. Funmi, Zainab and Enitan were best friends in school in Nigeria, but have since headed in different directions. Funmi married a wealthy man and lives an opulent life in Lagos. Zainab lives a few hours away and cares for her husband, who has suffered from a stroke and can no longer provide for his family. And Enitan married an American ex-pat and now lives in New York City, but her marriage has fallen apart. On the occasion of Funmi’s daughter Destiny’s wedding, the three friends reunite at Funmi’s home to celebrate, each choosing to hide – or reveal – certain aspects of themselves and their marriages.
Why I picked it up: I’ve had this ARC in the house for a while, and when I found it on audio, I chose it for the final category of the 2023 EDIWTB Reading Challenge (Book From My Bookshelf).
Sometimes the friends-from-college trope feels unrealistic to me because the friends are too close, too connected, too unconditionally forgiving. I liked Dele Weds Destiny because these three keep secrets from each other and don’t talk all the time, and yet they are still there for each other. The book follows a dual timeline – the 2015 present, their 80s college days, and back to 2015 again – which gives the reader a good sense of how they turned into the women they are now. I also enjoyed the Nigerian settings and details about their lives.
The book dragged a little in the middle, as the 80s section wound down, and the ending was a little sudden. But all in all, I enjoyed this debut from Obaro and look forward to whatever she writes next. I listened to Dele Weds Destiny on audio, and the narration by Tariye Peterside was excellent. She covered a lot of accents and voices and distinguished all of them.
Dele Weds Destiny is the 55th book of 2023 and satisfies the Book On My Bookshelf category of the 2023 EDWITB Reading Challenge.