Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2013 Date Read: 1/15/23
This is the second novel by this author I've read; the first was Half of a Yellow Sun which is about the Biafran-Nigerian War. My review of that novel was that it was rough and heart-wrenching, but excellent.
I could say the same about this novel, which is not about war, but rather is semi-autobiographical.
Despite the vast differences in our upbringings and cultures and lives, Adiche and I have a lot in common. We have both done stupid things that hurt ourselves because of the actions of others. We have both struggled to fit in to a society that doesn't fully accept us (she as a Nigerian in America and then as an Americanized Nigerian in Nigeria; myself as an autistic female growing up in rural America in the 1980s). We have both been sexual exploited. We have both had enough education to know we don't know enough, and to know when other people are full of shit. We both fell in love in middle school, and lost that relationship when life changed [SPOILER] although she gets hers back, and I wouldn't want mine if it was offered [/SPOILER].
This and her open, honest writing style made me identify strongly with Ifemelu. But there are, of course, major differences. Ifemelu is Nigerian and, although I was raised "poor" as considered by Americans, she grew up with a poverty I could not understand. Her country is as different from mine as two countries could be ("separated by a common language" as my husband says about his British and my American speech).
I suspect I'll be thinking about this novel on and off for a long time. It has burrowed into my brain.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned the most important subject Adiche addresses in this novel, which is race. I don't feel qualified to talk about it, is why. I am a white middle class woman who has known very few people from different cultures or ethnicities. I have not had an opportunity to learn. From my limited experiences and what I've read and seen on the news, I believe Adiche accurately represented how race is lived in the United States, but again, I just don't know. I hope by reading and learning I can maybe one day know a little. In many ways, her comments on race (which is one of the main foci of this novel, btw) reminded me of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, particularly as they both talk a lot about Barack Obama (tangent: she talks about Obama's book Dreams From My Father which I can also highly recommend. Whether you like him or support him or hate him, it's a great book).
I do think this is one of best novels I've read in my life.
Length: read on Kindle, 590 pages
ReReadability: yes
Classic: YES
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