"He had so much love in him. And he had swiftly run out of places to put it." Eve about her husband, Quentin.

This heartbreaking yet hopeful book starts with the unthinkable--Eve finds her husband, photographer Quentin, dead from suicide on New Year's Eve. There's no note and no hint of why he has done the unthinkable. The two met in college, fell in love and married quickly, despite both of their families reservations. Eve's close Nigerian family felt she married too quickly and Quentin's rich family was upset both by his career choice and the fact that he married a Black woman.

While dealing with her own horrific grief and confusion, Eve also has to handle a mother-in-law who blames her for her only son's death, the loss of her job, and her increasing reliance on the numbness drinks and drugs make her feel. A surprise among the tragedy and the love of Eve's family and friends start her on the path to healing.

Nwabineli expertly explores the layers of emotions inherent in this difficult subject. Eve blames herself and wonders why she didn't see Quentin's struggles. Her family blames him for not explaining to Eve why he did this. Her best friend hates him for doing this to her friend, causing her to be in this pain. The range of emotions by all are genuine and relatable. The main question, the unanswerable "why?" is addressed so well by Nwabineli. Eve and Quentin had real and authentic love, so the lack of closure or the answer to that "why?" makes Eve's loss even more powerful--and readable.

Although this one tackles a tough subject, I loved it. I listened to the audiobook and, my favorite narrator, Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury from Bridgerton), does another spectacular job with the range of emotions required for this book. I highly recommend listening to this one. It's human, emotional, relatable, and profound. A stunning debut.