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Content Warning: misogyny, misogynoir, rape, sexual assault, child abuse (sexual, physical and verbal), graphic violence, murder. Use caution as this book is extremely graphic when it comes to the aforementioned topics.
Four Nigerian women live together in a little house in Antwerp. In spite of their close quarters, none of them could be called anything beyond passingly friendly. And sometimes, not even that. It's only when one of the women, Sisi, shows up murdered, that they begin to tell one another the stories that have brought them all to Belgium.
I've had this one my list for ages. This year, as I was making my plans for what to read, I decided that I'd finally give it a go in April. I'm so pleased that I did. Not only is Unigwe's grasp of language both beautiful and terribly stark, but her ability to craft this story and make us care for the characters within was extremely adept. Our four main characters are all the more interesting - not to mention lovable - because of their imperfections. Sometimes fiction, particularly that touted as feminist, has a tendency to make their female characters perfect. Untouchable, and therefore above criticism.
But just like anyone else, women are complex. Here, there's another layer, too: these women are black, and subject to their own unique type of oppression. Ama, the fascinating, closed-off woman who wears a tiny cross around her neck in spite of her hatred for all religion, is allowed to be angry. Emotional. To rage, and feel her anger, without being chastised for it by the narrative.
But just like anyone else, women are complex. Here, there's another layer, too: these women are black, and subject to their own unique type of oppression. Ama, the fascinating, closed-off woman who wears a tiny cross around her neck in spite of her hatred for all religion, is allowed to be angry. Emotional. To rage, and feel her anger, without being chastised for it by the narrative.
There are some flaws, however, that kept me from loving it totally and completely. I sometimes felt that there wasn't a wholeness to the individual tales of their lives before Belgium, that it wasn't quite knitted together completely. Unigwe also utilizes an interesting technique that I've actually never seen done before, telling us in the same sentence as the "present" what will happen in the future. It was certainly interesting, but I'm not sure it actually worked all that well.
All in all, I found this novel touching and regardless of the extremely heavy topics within, a rewarding read. Perhaps more so because of the hardships these women endure. I would love to read another book by Unigwe, and I highly recommend this to those that are interested.
All in all, I found this novel touching and regardless of the extremely heavy topics within, a rewarding read. Perhaps more so because of the hardships these women endure. I would love to read another book by Unigwe, and I highly recommend this to those that are interested.
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