Title: Americanah
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
What I think so far: Shortlisted for the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction and claiming a spot on the New York Time’s 10 Best Books of 2013 list, I started this book with high hopes; while it’s still early days, I adore this novel already. It tells the story of Ifemelu and Obinze, who fall in love as teenagers in secondary school in Lagos, before they are separated by Ifemelu leaving for America while Obinze lives an undocumented life in the UK. Years later, they are set to reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria which leads to Ifemelu and Obinze facing the most difficult decisions of their lives.
Americanah is so much more than a cute love story, with Adiche (whose excellent “We should all be feminists” TEDx speech was sampled in Beyoncé’s incredible anthem ‘Flawless’) fearlessly tackling issues such as race, religion, gender and class in a story spanning three continents and several decades. Adiche writes in such a fluid, evocative manner, capturing the essence of her native Nigeria and bringing to life some truly fascinating characters, all the while carefully dissecting modern culture and conflicting attitudes of the West and Africa.
Would I Recommend it? Definitely. Adiche is such an exceptionally talented writer with a flair for combining vivid prose and a beautiful story with such an extensive exploration of social hierarchies.
Rating: 8/10
Words by Leah