Title: The Thing Around Your Neck
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Outline: The Thing Around Your Neck is a collection of short stories by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Throughout the twelve stories, an insight into Adichie’s life is revealed; some of the stories document the complex history of Nigeria under imperial, military and later democratic rule, while some discuss the assimilation into American ways of life. ‘The Arranges of Marriage’ is the most poignant example of the latter, wherein the new husband of Chinaza encourages her to speak English, cook American food and adopt an English name now that they live in America. The result is their divorce.
The legacy of colonisation is a key theme of the novel, and ‘Jumping Monkey Hill’ acts as a metaphor for imperial British rule. An African Writers Workshop, funded by a British Council, is the setting. It is hosted by an posh British man called Edward who belittles the protagonist, Ujunwa, and criticises her writing after verbally sexually harassing her and some fellow female participants. He blurs African cultures and cares little for the participants, presenting such cultural apathy by a figure representing British power. It’s enough to renounce the history of British imperialism, if you hadn’t already.
Some of the stories are much more sickening. The collection opens with ‘Cell One’, a documentation of civil turmoil, casual crime and police tyranny. It is told through the eyes of a young girl, and the gradual distancing from innocence makes the story all the more powerful. ‘Tomorrow Is Too Far’ is about family secrets, the reality of internalised misogyny, and childhood jealousy. The many themes and layers of this book ensure that there are stories to shock the reader – stories about realities they would never have come across without this book – and others that are easily accessible. It’s truly a fascinating read.
Highlights: The stories detailing the history of Nigeria were the most interesting to me. The history of colonisation and the British Empire is often omitted from Western history lessons, but as a history student it is something I want to learn; Western history isn’t the only thing that matters. Imperialism and colonisation formed the basis of the final story, ‘The Headstrong Historian’, which is easily the strongest in the collection; the civil war and unrest is the basis of the poignant ‘A Private Experience’; and ‘The American Embassy’ is about a woman’s seeking of immigration to escape military rule.
Why I Read It: A recommendation from a fellow Indiependent writer (thank you, Beth) and a general interest in Adichie after finding out that she was the speaker in Beyonce’s iconic song ‘***Flawless’ were the reasons I bought this book. I also bought Americana, her most recent novel, which I am yet to read but increasingly excited to. The final reason is one I failed to acknowledge until halfway through the book: my bookshelf needs to be more diverse. The canon of literature is full of white men, but this doesn’t mean that they are the only writers capable of crafting wonderful pieces of literature. This book made me realise that my desire to read more needs to be intersectional, needs to account for the lives of people I would never have known without reading their books. This book was the perfect introduction.
Rating: 9/10. My background as a white, working class girl from the North of England couldn’t be further from Adichie’s Nigeria (and later, her America). The stories in this collection are set in both countries, and explain the two in ways I would never have considered prior to reading this book. What is most incredible is that these stories are so easily accessible; while I may not fully understand every trait of every character, the people Adichie creates are not worlds apart from every single reader. For literature to explain the unexplainable is astonishing; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s wonderful storytelling can only be the reason for this.
Words by Caitlin O’Connor