I really enjoy doing these book reviews(Americanah). I know a lot of Nigerians are not bookworms but I am in love with the idea that someone would pick up a book because of what I have written. I also try not to give negative reviews because people translate things differently. I mean it took me a while to read this book because of all the negative reviews I read and I ended up enjoying it thoroughly.
If you have lived outside the country at some point in your life this book would be very relatable.
Americanah Heroines
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie features one of the most interesting heroines I’ve read in a while. Ifemelu grew up in Lagos but left to attend college in America when the military dictatorship gripping Nigeria began interfering with her education. The book starts with Ifemelu preparing to move back to her native country after thirteen years away, looking back on her first love, Obinze, who is now married and has a baby daughter. The storytelling is so rich, I loved how it started with Ifemelu’s present situation and then worked into her past for a few hundred pages filling in the gaps on what had led her to the precipice of heading back home. The book shows the harsh reality of life, how sometimes we do things we are not proud of just to survive.
Ifemelu is not the most lovable character, she is proud, selfish and most times judgemental but she is real. What struck me was how she got her American papers as a result of her relationship with a white man but was so quick to judge her friend in Nigeria for having a sugar daddy.
One of the most interesting components of the book was Ifemelu dealing with the realities of being black in America. Throughout the book there are entries from Ifemelu’s blog addressing race intertwined with the narrative.
Americanah Imagery
The imagery in Americanah is something else, the scent of fried plantains, coconut milk rice, and hair relaxant seem to rise off the page. It’s a long read, but completely worth the time investment.