Americanah

I heard Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speak on NPR about her new novel Americanah and immediately placed a hold on the book. Yet I wasn't sure I would actually be able to get into it because I've been pretty fickle lately. But Adichie is an amazing writer and I fell in love with her main character Ifemelu, a woman from Nigeria who comes to America. She leaves behind her true love, Obinze. The two try to maintain a long distance relationship, but Ifemelu's desperation and degradation of trying to make it in America build and eventually tear the couple apart. The book explores Ifemelu's search for her identity and her journey as a writer, and also gives the reader a portrait of her relationships with men after Obinze and their eventual reunion. I absolutely loved this book. It tackles race issues, relationships, and identity and I enjoy books that touch on any of these, but to have them all explored so eloquently in one beautiful novel was the kind of book that I never want to end. I will definitely be reading more of her novels in the future.