by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
What a great book. At its core, it is a love story between two people that meet when they’re young and then circle their way back to each other later in life, only to find that they and the world have changed considerably. But that love story is framed against the backdrop of the immigrant experience of a Nigerian woman going to America and a Nigerian man going to Great Britain. I loved following along on their journey, with its trials and tribulations, classicism and racism that they face, relationships that they have, and lessons that they are forced to learn.
I particularly found the experience of a non-American born Black woman fascinating. Ifemelu Is forced to confront racism for the first time once she relocates to America. Her character delves deeply into the subject, starting a blog, and examining her experience as a non-African-American Black and contrasting that with Black African Americans. That perspective was eye-opening and made the story even more gripping.
The writing is wonderful, and allows you to go deep into the characters’ minds. I am now interested in reading other books by this author. I also heard that this book may have a film or TV adaptation. I would definitely be interested in seeing it.
