Put your hand up of if you have a weakness for African literature?
A new piece of literature from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the gift I didn’t know I needed in 2020 until the moment I was holding Zikora in my hands- well actually I was holding the downloaded version on my kindle!
Anyone who’s a Chimamanda fan would know we’ve all been waiting with bated breath for another offering from our fave author since Americanah was published seven years ago! So when Zikora, her seventh book dropped unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago, the excitement it stirred was enough to make one giddy.
Zikora, what’s it about?
The story starts in the delivery ward of a hospital, somewhere in Washington D.C. Zikora, a Nigerian-American professional woman in her late thirties, is getting ready to give birth to her son. Her only support is her stoney faced mother and sadly no partner. Her boyfriend (sorry, ex boyfriend) Kwame left her the night she announced the pregnancy.
For most of the story, Zikora reflects on her relationship with Kwame, the night of the breakup, and her mother’s relationship with her father as she tries to make sense of all her life events that have led her to this point.
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In just a short number of pages, we engage emotionally with Zikora’s story; we eventually find out whether Kwame has a change of heart following the birth of his son, whether Zikora’s mother forgives her daughter for being “a disappointment”, and most importantly whether Zikora forgives herself, and is able to find peace with her complicated relationship with motherhood.
My thoughts
You know what I’m going to say right? I absolutely loved it! I have a weakness for African literature. Although set in Washington D.C. this was African storytelling – from the characters to the language and the central dilemma.
Zikora was a page-turner – not because the plotline was all singing and all dancing but because Chimamanda has a true gift for storytelling. She’s light with her words but somehow her writing never lacks depth. It’s like cooking with only a handful of ingredients, and the result is a dish full of rich flavour. Her way of revealing the main character’s inner dialogue truly allows the reader to engage with all her emotions. We are even given a glimpse of her mother’s internal battles.
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What’s most impressive about Zikora is the way such a short story (I don’t think it’s any longer than around thirty pages) can cover so much scope. I was able to finish the book in less than an hour so it’s perfect if you have a short attention span or trying to build up a reading habit.
You can download Zikora from the kindle store.
Have you read it yet? What are your thoughts?
