Hey there! I know right, I am such a lazy thing! X_X loool :D. This is one post I should have done a long time ago. I wrote this piece for my Faculty's paper and they refused to publish it.. oh well, good for me cos I didn't have to type anything :D. Hope you get gingered to read the book after you read this *shines teeth*. Enjoy! :* :*
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Book: The Thing Around Your Neck
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
Publisher: Farafina Books
The first Chimamanda book I read was “Half Of A Yellow Sun”. After I read the book, I knew it wasn’t going to be the only book of hers I was going to read. Chimamanda is one author that keeps you engrossed all through novel. In fact her book is one you’d call a “fast page turner”.
After I read her other book “Purple Hibiscus”, I concluded that her third novel would also have a colour element in its title (like “Half Of A Yellow Sun” and “Purple Hibiscus”) so I came up with some titles on my own; “The sky looks gray” or “Our Green Land” Not very creative huh? Well, Miss Adiche proves to us that she’s not very predictable!
“The Thing Around Your Neck” is one book that has made me view life in different new dimensions. It has short stories that treat issues faced by people in Nigeria, as well as those in Diaspora. Some made me laugh, some made me cry and others had lessons for everyone to learn.
The first story “Cell One” tells the story of a boy over pampered by his parents, especially his mum and how he eventually ends up in jail. The end of the story however gives it its unusual twist and saves it from being another story with the theme ‘Train up your child’. A good one though!
“Imitation”, the second story was moving. A woman based in America, finds out that her husband’s girlfriend has moved into their house in Nigeria. I however expected a little more action in that story. I didn’t like the abrupt end.
“A Private Experience” made me cry. I felt very sad for the main character (what’s her name again? Oh well ask Rihanna… lol). The writing technique was very unique and fascinating. The main character lost her sister in a riot during their visit to Kano. Her experience with a hausa woman however changes her view about hausa people.
“On Monday of last week” was hilarious! Kamara, a Nigerian woman gets infatuated with an artist that complemented her “nice set of teeth”. She later realises painfully that the woman was just being artistic. I loved that story!
The title story “The thing around your neck” tells a story of a young Nigerian girl’s loneliness in America. She gets so lonely, she practically begins to feel it choking her every night, until she meets her American boyfriend. The narrative technique was really unique, like the other story.
I however had a particular problem with “the shivering” (there is going to be a likelihood of bias here, because I’m talking from the religious and public morality point of view) How come a fire for fire Christian ( as chinedu was depicted) is actually gay? I mean is the bible not against homosexuals?? Miss Adiche, as much as I enjoyed that story, I didn’t like the use of a so supposed- to-be powerful Christian, for that character.
The other stories were fantastic, and one major thing I noticed from all the stories is the fact that they all had a connection with America, in one way or the other, with the expectations of “The Headstrong Historian” and “The private experience”.
Miss chimamanda has kept our fingers crossed again and we can only hope for her next book would be as unpredictably captivating as the others!
