I bought this book on an impulse. I had never heard of Adichie before, nor i had heard that she was the winner of the Orange
Broadband Prize for fiction. I liked the story, the concept and I wanted a chance to know and understand something about Nigerian History.
Africa for me has always been vast stretch of rain forests, Sierra Leon and child soldiers.
I expected something in the lines of a war story from her, something like ''A long way home'' by Ishmael Biah. Something which showed the struggle of the
people during the war, the atrocities committed during the war.
This book is all that and much more. In fact I wouldn''t call it a war story. It is the story of unforgettable characters; characters like Odenigbo, Olanna, Ugwu, Richard and Kaniene. They remain etched in your mind long after the book is over.
It is very difficult to believe that this is Adichie''s second novel.
As Chinua Achebe says about her,'' we do not associate wisdom with beginners, but here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers.''
And what a storyteller she is.
The book starts with a 13 year old Ugwu who comes to live with Odenigbo as a house boy.
Right from the start you get sucked into the story. One can feel their emotions, their turmoil right through the pages of the book.
It has the backdrop of the formation and the death of Biafra as well. I won’t get into the story for the fear of spoiling it for those who haven’t read it.
All I can say is she has a very powerful command and control of the language. Her writing is an Art work. I fell in love with words like sonorous, sardonic, abstemious, sacrosanct, lugubrious all over again.
Miss Adichie in one of her interviews says she would like the new book to open a conversation about our history and the war. “When you say Biafra, some people would say, ‘Oh those Igbo people who want their own country!’, and nobody asks how did Biafra come about. I am hoping that people read the book and realize that a grave injustice has been done to Igbo people; it has to be acknowledged.”
It has been acknowledged indeed.
As Chinua Achebe says, ''She knows what is at stake and what to do about it.''