Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an African American and an American African? The documented journey of Ifemelu, who goes from Nigeria to the US for her studies makes it crystal clear: "I came from a country where race was not an issue; I did not think of myself as black and I only became black when I came to America."
The novel starts with Ifemelu who, after having spent fifteen years in the US, is preparing to go back home to Nigeria. From then on, the story unfolds in a flashback that retraces her experience, from her departure and her separation from her first love, Obinze -who went studying in the UK- to her decision to go back to her home country.
In the meantime, Ifemelu will offer us a sharp vision and -similar to her personality- an argumentative and outspoken description of the characters and customs around her. Some people see the plot as a romance between two star-crossed lovers (Ifemelu and Obinze) and although it is partly true, the story can't be reduced to this. Indeed Adichie provides a compelling observation of the place of race and racism in the US and in the UK but also in Nigeria , a country that rejects "Americanahs" -those proud and arrogant Nigerians who return from America to belittle their own countrymen- while at the same time looks up to foreign values (a clear skin being a symbol of beauty, women spending time, money and sometimes health straightening their hair...) Those observations are transmitted through Ifemelu's experiences but also through the articles of the blog she creates - "Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black" - and which will lead her to win a fellowship at Princetown (it may ring a bell to you since Adichie herself got this fellowship). As hard as it is to select one piece of Ifemelu's writing, here is for you to get an idea: "If you're telling a non-black person about something racist that happened to you, make sure you are not bitter. Don't complain. Be forgiving. If possible, make it funny. Most of all, do not be angry. Black people are not supposed to be angry about racism. Otherwise you get no sympathy. This applies only for white liberals, by the way. Don't even bother telling a white conservative about anything racist that happened to you. Because the conservative will tell you that YOU are the real racist and your mouth will hang open in confusion."
I would add that this novel is also about identity and the loss and search of it but also how we are defined depending on who we are surrounded by, in other words how each individual is the layering of multiple stories. Last but not least, what makes the narrative gripping is Ifemelu's irreverent and blunt tone that immediately gives life to her observations, from the people and places around her "Princeton, in the summer, smelled of nothing, and although Ifemelu liked the tranquil greenness of the many trees, the clean streets and stately homes, the delicately overpriced shops, and the quiet, abiding air of earned grace, it was this, the lack of a smell, that most appealed to her, perhaps because the other American cities she knew well had all smelled distinctly. Philadelphia had the musty scent of history. New Haven smelled of neglect. Baltimore smelled of brine, and Brooklyn of sun-warmed garbage. But Princeton had no smell" to the meaning of hair and what they represent in one's life "Relaxing your hair is like being in prison. You're caged in. Your hair rules you. You didn't go running with Curt today because you don't want to sweat out this straightness. You're always battling to make your hair do what it wasn't meant to do."
Did you know?
→ Mrs Adichie extended Ifemelu';s distinct voice through the creation of a Wordpress blog entitled The Small Redemptions Of Lagos.
→ The book was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of 2013 by the editors of the New York Times Book Review. It won the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award (Fiction) and was shortlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction of the United Kingdom. The Chicago Tribune awarded Adichie its 2013 HeartlandAward for Fiction, "recogniz[ing Americanah as] a novel that engages with important ideas about race, and does so with style, wit and insight."(Source : wikipedia.com)
Written by Virginie
Have you read this book ? What did you think of it ?