Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
Verdict: Read it right away!
I picked up this book after reading and hearing rave reviews about it, and it didn't disappoint me one bit. I LOVED it. This is my first of Adichie's books and I was hooked right from page 1 and she had me reeled in till the very end. Americanah is about love, race, color, hair and so much more!
The novel begins with Ifemelu, a Nigerian woman, who decides to return to Lagos after living in the United States for thirteen years. The story then goes back to Ifemelu's teenage days in Nigeria where she and a boy named Obinze meet and fall in love. They both are bright, motivated and equally frustrated with the chaos and corruption surrounding the Nigerian government. Ifemelu goes to the United States and as fate would have it, Obinze is denied a visa to the United States post 9/11.
Meanwhile in America, Ifemelu tries to come to terms with surviving in America through humiliating jobs that she cuts off all communication with Obinze. After lots of struggle, her life takes an upward turn. She starts a blog about being black and race in America, which becomes very popular, she earns readers, gets paid to speak about it and along the course of it, begins dating a Yale professor. Obinze goes to England on a tourist visa, does menial jobs to get along and he even tries to marry a English woman to get a legal status right when he is discovered and deported back to Nigeria. After returning to Nigeria he reinvents himself as years pass by, his world changes. He marries another woman, Kosi and has a 2 year old daughter. Adichie has perfectly captured the immigrant experience of both Ifemelu and Obinze, right from their early days in United States and London, although, Obinze's stint at London was way too short.
I felt that Adichie's biggest strength throughout this book was the depth she brought to the character of Ifemelu. She has given so much life to Ifemelu's character that it all seemed too real. Be it the time during the initial days of Ifemelu in the United States when she learns what it is to be black in America, the shame when she is asked to do a humiliating job for the sports coach to earn her living, the desperate attempts of trying to straighten her hair for a job interview, and how she falls into depression during the early stages - I could empathize completely with Ifemelu and her feelings.
At the onset, Ifemelu seemed too innocent, a happy-go-lucky girl who is happy with her life and the romance between Obinze and her is heart-warming. But, as I turned pages, it hit me hard on the complex personality Ifemelu is. An intelligent woman, very self-centered and brutally honest most of the times! With relationships with multiple men, I couldn't really get a feel for why Ifemelu broke them in the first place. I felt that the bulk of the book was dedicated to Ifemelu, her thoughts, her actions, her immigrant experience thereby overshadowing every other character in the book. I would have loved to know more about Obinze and his mother. Throughout the book, I couldn't help feel if Ifemelu's character was just a shadow of Adichie herself, and if this infact was Adichie's story!
Obinze is one of the very few male characters in the book who has at least some part of the story dedicated to and we know why. Through his immigration experience in the United Kingdom and reasons why he was denied a US visa, Adichie is able to hit the nerve on how hard the situation is for black and brown men intending to go to the USA or UK. Throughout the book I felt that Obinze was far gentler than Ifemelu, but he was never into Kosi (his wife) at all right from day-1 of their marriage. He still longed for Ifemelu even though she cut off all contacts with Obinze for a very long time. I felt like I always had a special respect for Obinze, very matured and a man with integrity.
The part I really really loved was the last one when Ifemelu returns to Nigeria, transformed into a complete "Americanah"! The transition was I felt, extremely well portrayed. Of course, I was itching to find out if she and Obinze will meet and get back together. The changes in the two of them when they finally meet brings a smile. Although I was a little frustrated at how Obinze could immediately leave his family behind and come to Ifemelu, and how quickly Ifemelu gets angry on him on not leaving them earlier (Ifemelu really being the one who cut Obinze off for years together) well, I guess that's the power of love. The love story was really satisfying and its still very fresh in my mind!
Americanah is one of the BEST books I've read so far!
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
Verdict: Read it right away!
I picked up this book after reading and hearing rave reviews about it, and it didn't disappoint me one bit. I LOVED it. This is my first of Adichie's books and I was hooked right from page 1 and she had me reeled in till the very end. Americanah is about love, race, color, hair and so much more!
The novel begins with Ifemelu, a Nigerian woman, who decides to return to Lagos after living in the United States for thirteen years. The story then goes back to Ifemelu's teenage days in Nigeria where she and a boy named Obinze meet and fall in love. They both are bright, motivated and equally frustrated with the chaos and corruption surrounding the Nigerian government. Ifemelu goes to the United States and as fate would have it, Obinze is denied a visa to the United States post 9/11.
Meanwhile in America, Ifemelu tries to come to terms with surviving in America through humiliating jobs that she cuts off all communication with Obinze. After lots of struggle, her life takes an upward turn. She starts a blog about being black and race in America, which becomes very popular, she earns readers, gets paid to speak about it and along the course of it, begins dating a Yale professor. Obinze goes to England on a tourist visa, does menial jobs to get along and he even tries to marry a English woman to get a legal status right when he is discovered and deported back to Nigeria. After returning to Nigeria he reinvents himself as years pass by, his world changes. He marries another woman, Kosi and has a 2 year old daughter. Adichie has perfectly captured the immigrant experience of both Ifemelu and Obinze, right from their early days in United States and London, although, Obinze's stint at London was way too short.
I felt that Adichie's biggest strength throughout this book was the depth she brought to the character of Ifemelu. She has given so much life to Ifemelu's character that it all seemed too real. Be it the time during the initial days of Ifemelu in the United States when she learns what it is to be black in America, the shame when she is asked to do a humiliating job for the sports coach to earn her living, the desperate attempts of trying to straighten her hair for a job interview, and how she falls into depression during the early stages - I could empathize completely with Ifemelu and her feelings.
At the onset, Ifemelu seemed too innocent, a happy-go-lucky girl who is happy with her life and the romance between Obinze and her is heart-warming. But, as I turned pages, it hit me hard on the complex personality Ifemelu is. An intelligent woman, very self-centered and brutally honest most of the times! With relationships with multiple men, I couldn't really get a feel for why Ifemelu broke them in the first place. I felt that the bulk of the book was dedicated to Ifemelu, her thoughts, her actions, her immigrant experience thereby overshadowing every other character in the book. I would have loved to know more about Obinze and his mother. Throughout the book, I couldn't help feel if Ifemelu's character was just a shadow of Adichie herself, and if this infact was Adichie's story!
Obinze is one of the very few male characters in the book who has at least some part of the story dedicated to and we know why. Through his immigration experience in the United Kingdom and reasons why he was denied a US visa, Adichie is able to hit the nerve on how hard the situation is for black and brown men intending to go to the USA or UK. Throughout the book I felt that Obinze was far gentler than Ifemelu, but he was never into Kosi (his wife) at all right from day-1 of their marriage. He still longed for Ifemelu even though she cut off all contacts with Obinze for a very long time. I felt like I always had a special respect for Obinze, very matured and a man with integrity.
The part I really really loved was the last one when Ifemelu returns to Nigeria, transformed into a complete "Americanah"! The transition was I felt, extremely well portrayed. Of course, I was itching to find out if she and Obinze will meet and get back together. The changes in the two of them when they finally meet brings a smile. Although I was a little frustrated at how Obinze could immediately leave his family behind and come to Ifemelu, and how quickly Ifemelu gets angry on him on not leaving them earlier (Ifemelu really being the one who cut Obinze off for years together) well, I guess that's the power of love. The love story was really satisfying and its still very fresh in my mind!
Americanah is one of the BEST books I've read so far!
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