They leave military-ruled Nigeria for the West, where they face what it means to be black and start an unfathomable separation that leaves each changed forever. This novel follows Ifemelu and Obinze, two Nigerians in love and full of hope for a future outside Africa. You’ll walk away with more than just wistfulness over Biafra’s failure: A visceral longing for the outcome to have been anything but what it was. Not a light read by any means, this unforgettable book depicts war, genocide, and the horrifying aftermath on those who lived through the Biafran war. The language may seem deceptively simple at first until about the third time Adichie’s imagery kicks you in the guts and leaves you breathless. She peppers the powerful prose with well-researched historical facts without once info-dumping.Īdichie’s masterful use of words comes into its own in Half of a Yellow Sun. Literary-wise, Adichie is at the top of her game here, painting starvation and torture vividly enough to make you feel every bite of hunger. The hopes and yearnings are palpable, and so is the crushing sense of loss as Adichie deftly dismantles the dream slowly, echoing the actual Biafran experience. The story unfolds through five memorable characters who take us into Biafra’s sweet dreams of independence. You may start reading with zero knowledge about the Biafran war and Nigeria itself, but you’re going to emerge feeling as though you lived those seminal years.
The event in question is Biafra’s fight for independence in the late 1960s.ĭoesn’t ring a bell? Fear not: You don’t need to know about the Nigerian civil war to be able to enjoy this book.
In this historical fiction masterpiece, Adichie sheds some much-needed light on a major event in modern African history without turning the story into a dry history lesson.
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