Afi and her mother do little but sit in an opulent Accra flat, waiting for Eli to grace them with his presence. The first half of the novel was agonizingly slow. The giving of schnapps as part of a dowry is a customary element of both. In a neat bit of symmetry, I read a novel earlier this year that opened with a traditional Ghanaian divorce ceremony where the husband was in absentia ( What Napoleon Could Not Do) this opens with a traditional wedding ceremony where, again, the groom isn’t there. The Kirkus review excerpt inside the paperback’s front cover should have given me an idea of what to expect: “A Cinderella story set in Ghana … A Crazy Rich Asians for West Africa.” While both slightly reductive, those comparisons do give some sense of the book’s tone and superficiality.Īfi Tekple is a seamstress whose family arranges for her to marry Elikem Ganyo, a rich international businessman who has properties all over Ghana. Peace Adzo Medie’s 2020 debut novel was the first disappointment I’ve had from Reese Witherspoon’s book club. (My fourth read with the Literary Wives online book club see also Kay’s review and Naomi’s review.)
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