Author: Peace Adzo Medie
Published: September 1st 2020
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Number of pages: 288
Format: Audiobook
Source: Netgalley
From Goodreads
“Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding.”
Afi Tekple is a young seamstress whose life is narrowing rapidly. She lives in a small town in Ghana with her widowed mother, spending much of her time in her uncle Pious’s house with his many wives and children. Then one day she is offered a life-changing opportunity—a proposal of marriage from the wealthy family of Elikem Ganyo, a man she doesn’t truly know. She acquiesces, but soon realizes that Elikem is not quite the catch he seemed. He sends a stand-in to his own wedding, and only weeks after Afi is married and installed in a plush apartment in the capital city of Accra does she meet her new husband. It turns out that he is in love with another woman, whom his family disapproves of; Afi is supposed to win him back on their behalf. But it is Accra that eventually wins Afi’s heart and gives her a life of independence that she never could have imagined for herself.
A brilliant scholar and a fierce advocate for women’s rights, author Peace Adzo Medie infuses her debut novel with intelligence and humor. For readers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Candice Carty-Williams, His Only Wife is the story of an indomitable and relatable heroine that illuminates what it means to be a woman in a rapidly changing world.
My Review
I decided to read His Only Wife because I really loved Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo and thought that it would be interesting to read some more about African culture, especially concerning marriages and relationships in general.
His Only Wife does not start with the presentation of our protagonists and the description of their love story. Afi Tekple marries Elikem Ganyo in absentia, meaning that he does not show up at their cerimony. With this shocking image we are thrown into Afi's mind and we live every step of her new life along with her. It is probably the best thing about this book the fact that we are given the chance to see marriage and african culture and costumes through Afi's eyes, since she represents the point of view of the humble and more traditional class. It is interesting to see how many differences there will be between her world and that of Elikem , who certainly represents the wealth. Starting from the apartments in which he lives, to the furniture and the styles he chose for his house, to the different social lives they lead, we have through all the book a beautiful portait of a Ghana split between modernity and tradition. We are given the chance to experience Afi's struggles to adjust to her new reality and to become a different kind of woman: one who does not rely solely on her husband and one who certainly takes matters into her own hands. I have to say that I was surprised to discover that Afi is not at all the protagonist that I was expecting at the beginning. I thought we would have a submissive girl, a young woman too afraid to betray her parents' wishes... but she was not! As soon as she gets some time to adjust, Afi's personality immediately comes out and I really loved how she turned to be such a strong woman.
I believe all the characters in this book have speacial meaning all they all become examples of a certain social and economical position. Remarkable personalities are that of Auntie, Elikem's mother, who represents the alphawoman who has managed to make a fortune all by herself and believes to be entitled to control every aspect of the lives of those around her. She's the matriarch par excellence, she is feared by all her children and she's certainly not used to receive no as an answer. She decided to marry Elikem to Afi because she didn't like Elikem's Liberian woman, whose personality was stronger than hers and couldn't be bent by her will. I was really sad that we didn't get a chance to know Muna, because I believe she might have been my favorite character. It was interesting to see how she was depicted by others and how Afi is lead to believe by everyone that her husband's woman was pure evil. Evil in Ghana, apparently rhymes with independent.
Another really interesting character that we see a little bit more of was Evelyn, that I know now represents what Afi will become. Evelyne is a woman who has learnt how to be in this world. She has sacrificed romantic love for another type of affection: self-love. Strong and self-sufficient, witty and intelligent, she must suffer the same faith as Muna: become the other woman.
The only negative point of this book for me, was how unbalanced the narration had been. The plot proceeded really slowly, centering mainly on Afi's thoughts and inner struggles but then the ending totally came a little out of the blue. I would have loved the closure to be a little more thoughtful and for the author to explore better Afi's last decision and how it affected not only her but all those involved in the story.
Full of portraits of beautiful women and strong personalities, I found this book really fascinating and I know now that listening to it did not affect my liking it in any way. The narrator was fantastic and the emotion in her voice just amplified Afi's sometimes heart wrenching thoughts. Will I buy myself a physical copy of this book? Yes I will!
Rated
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