Book Review for April (Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

I always tell people that I started my Chimamanda journey wrong. I never fail to mention that it took me a while to read the Chimamanda collection and now that I have, I am amazed by how much I missed out on.

Americanah tells a tale of two lovers torn apart due to life’s uncertainties but are reunited and must figure out if they still want the same thing out of life. The book, which touches on different themes including race, feminism, sexual assault, socio economic stability, religion and so on, is set in three different countries. In each part, the reader gets to experience the alternate reality of what the life of a migrant worker entails. With Aisha, Ifemelu, Aunty Uju and Obinze, we are exposed to the different conditions African blacks face in their new host countries.

The most striking theme for me was on the changes that occur, the little things that change due to your experience in life. At the beginning of the book, we see how Ifemelu questions everything. Her inquisitive nature allows for her to be naturally logical about everything. Her mother changes the course of her faith and Ifemelu doesn't mind as long as her mother is happy. Then we get to her in another world where race, instead of religion, is what occupies Ifemelu’s mind. For most Africans, relating To racism is an alien concept as most issue that exist here are build on tribalism and xenephobia. I appreciate the author’s ability to explore how different the western world is to Africans that are not indigenous.

In as much as this book addresses current issues that exist and continue to exist in society, the book also requires the attention and critical thinking of the reader. The overly descriptive nature of the author makes it hard for the reader to create his or her own fiction universe. The book address so many issues that seemed a little bit too academic and might be challenging to readers who do not have the patience to explore these themes.

However, I will give it to the author for being so extensive. Very few authors can write a book that explores so many themes in one piece. It was amazing to see how the author moved from one issue to the next with the ease juxtaposition. Every topic, as relevant as it was when this book was written, is still glaring in today’s society.

Written by

Munyale Kwabe