Author: Zaynab Quadri
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie clocked 38 yesterday and oh well you have read all her books.You blazed through Purple Hibiscus, you ran out and bought Half of a Yellow Sun, The Thing Around Your Neck, and Americanah. And you finished them in two sleepless nights.
Now your sleepless nights are spent yearning for another Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie book and you wish that Americanah movie could just come out faster.
Well, don’t fret or fear. These African literature books will keep you up at night, in a good way, and hold you over until your next Adichie fix.
1. Oil on Water by Helon Habila
Oil on Water, centers on the kidnapping of a British oil magnate’s wife in Nigeria, and the pair of journalists who attempt to crack the story against a dangerous background. Fast-paced and heart-pounding, it’s kind of Adichie and nearly impossible to put down.
2. Daughters who walk this path by Yejide Kilanko
Daughters who walk this path, tells an intimate story of Morayo, and those around her. Kilanko adds just enough of the political and societal trends and tensions into the narrative, to make us appreciate the challenges faced by young people, especially women, in modern-day Nigeria.
3. The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Hut
This book tells the story of two hairdressers in Harare, Zimbabwe. The author like Adichie incorporates the topics of racism, poverty, and prejudice in a very circumspect and interesting manner.
4. Open City by Teju Cole
Some of Nigeria’s best writers are living abroad or at least with one foot abroad, so it’s inevitable that more and more “writing about Nigeria” is from the diaspora and reflects its place in the wider world. Julius, the fictional narrator of Cole’s beautiful novel, has flashbacks to his Nigerian childhood as he wanders around Manhattan (a city in America). The memories that float to the surface of his consciousness are part of his complex identity.
5. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe
Four very different women have made their way from Africa to Brussels. Like Adichie’s female characters, these women travelled to claim for themselves the riches they believe Europe promises. When Sisi, one of the women is murdered the others come together to share their stories.
6. The Secret Lives Of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin.
This book is the story of Baba Segi, a middle-aged polygamous man with four wives, seven children and a robust appetite. Weaving the voices of Baba Segi and his four competing wives into a portrait of a clamorous household of twelve, Lola Shoneyin evokes an extraordinary Nigerian family in splashes of vibrant colour.
7. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu.
A book about Sepha Stephanos who fled Ethiopia to start a new life in the United States. It’s a story of life in a different place, and the longing for motherland.
This article was initially published by Pulse NG on Sept. 16, 2015. It has been republished with permission.
Author: Zaynab Quadri
Zaynab is a senior associate at pulse. Self-described as “book obsessed and African lit lover,” her life revolves around reviewing books and taking book pictures. Follow her on Instagram/Twitter @Zaynabtyty.
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