Idu

by Flora Nwapa

Set in a Nigerian town, this book tells the story of a woman's desire for children.

Genres: African Literature, Africa, Nigeria, Fiction

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Florence Nwanzuruahu Nkiru Nwapa (13 January 1931 – 16 October 1993) was a Nigerian author best known as Flora Nwapa. Her novel Efuru (1966) is among the first English-language novels by a woman from Africa.

Nwapa, born in Oguta, was the forerunner to a generation of African women writers. While never considering herself a feminist, she is best known for recreating life and traditions from a woman's viewpoint. In 1966 her book Efuru became Africa's first internationally published female novel in the English language (Heinemann Educational Books). She has been called the mother of modern African literature. Later she went on to become the first African woman publisher of novels when she founded Tata Press.

She also is known for her governmental work in reconstruction after the Biafran War. In particular she worked with orphans and refugees that where displaced during the war. Further she worked as a publisher of African literature and promoted women in African society. Flora Nwapa died on 16 October 1993 in Enugu, Nigeria.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I laugh ? was I tempted to cry ? do I wanted to slap a particular character ? the answer to all these questions is Yes.
If you are used to reading African writers and Nigerian one in particular, then this book will not come as a surprise. It is a real love story between Idu and Adiewere, who implicitly vowed to remain together and avoid polygamy despite their inability to conceive a child after five years of mariage. Idu's luck is that her mother in law has passed long before so there is nobody to technically put pressure on her but the other villagers attached to their traditions.
Flora Nwapa is clearly underrated and under praised for her faithful depiction of Nigerian society.
She masterfully voiced the different experiences the villagers go through, humanizing them and making their traditions understandable without forcing them on the reader. You see, you hear and feel the joys and pains of everyday women with such a sensibility. Bravo!

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

'The only thing I don't like about school is the beating the children receive. Sometimes we adults don't want to do certain things, and nobody bothers us. Why should we bother the children if sometimes they are not in the mood to learn.'

I considered bumping the rating up for this after I'd thought on it for a while, and apparently the time such required was encompassed by my writing of this review. You see, this work suffers from a multitude of misfortunes that are so odiously predictable in the realm of the literature market: a single edition, poor marketing, and the One Hit Wonder syndrome that often targets women/people of color publishing before popular media acknowledges their existence as not only credible, but viable. Unlike Efuru, that work of Nwapa's that is considered to be the One Hit, this book cannot be contorted to fit into white feminist's trumpeting of Personal Independence At All Costs. For, at heart, it is a tragedy, and as Things Fall Apart has been published twelve years previous to this one (I am not pitting one author against another, for Achebe was wonderfully encouraging in ways both emotional and economic from the very beginning of Nwapa's literary career), there was no small amount of stiff competition, even when considering that white appetite to this day much prefers that only narratives of despair come out of the entirety of that continent known as Africa, so as to further drive in the subconscious association of Euro with happiness and everything else with otherwise. Even worse, it is a tragedy that comes from the portrayal of a cultural clash that is not oriented around the wham bam of land stealing and religion burning, but of a slow and steady exposure to different views that prove that, actually, refusing to do one thing or going ahead and doing another will not actually make the sky fall down. After that, all that is left is the individual will, and where would the human species be if that's all that we had had for the last few millennia and more?

This is no status quo curated, comfortably embellished edition that one will find prettily displayed on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and co. If it were, it would easily be 10-20% longer with the addition of supplemental footnotes and/or endnotes delving into every non-English word and every non-Anglo custom so that the right kind of audience can continue to consider themselves the center of the universe. Since this book didn't win a major Euro award in the last decade or so, the reviews aren't filled with people complaining about such, so thank the fates for small favors, I suppose. Outside of that, you get the double edged sword of, either people read the back/some other synopsis and discovered the final climax of the last ten or so pages, or they've managed to avoid such and thus aren't inclined to pay attention the seemingly placid day by day narration of small village life as oriented around a single, much lauded couple who, unbefitting of their general goodness, are plagued with such annoyances as troublesome younger siblings and infertility. As time goes by, a variety of characters and events come and go that, if one pays attention, slowly but surely fleshes out the cultural norms through demonstrated reactions to the normal and the otherwise. And while not a single white person actually speaks a word of dialogue as a defined character within the course of the narrative, their presence hovers on the edge in the narrative in the form of luxurious clothing, esteemed hospitals, and no-pain-no-gain schools, as well as in events of varying levels of dire import such as sex work, rabies-infected dog bites, bandits, madness, orphans, male alcoholism feeding into domestic abuse, eclipses, twins that are not condemned to infanticide, and spouses that are valued more than children. Looking back, the main character being the title is somewhat of a hint, as what the story can easily be read is is how all events and interactions, from beginning to end, impact Idu, until it comes time for her to make a final decision that mirrors certain parts of her community and cracks open others. When thought about properly, it's a deeply impactful enough story to survive being spoiled so glibly for so many of its readers, but let's be honest here: this is not a work that will receive such treatment as those of other demographics assume themselves entitled to.

At the beginning, I bought this work because I had previously enjoyed the author, whom in turn I had only come to as soon as I did due to well-intentioned yet still ridiculously biased 'great works' list. The fact that I'm reading it now is not due to any of the 'natural' winding paths of readerly interest, but because its less than literary attributes made it a good fit for various categories for various 2021 reading challenges. And yet, now that I've read it, I've found it to be as rewarding experience as I likely would have had I not both acquired it and later on engaged with it through such artificial means of list items, publishing house names, and reading challenges. It's why I reserve a small measure of faith in such institutions, both outward and personalized: much as you can lead a horse to water without being able to make it drink, it also won't drink what it cannot lead itself to. So, all in all, I would counsel that those who are sticklers about spoilers avoid reading the back or any associated blurbs. This is a work that creeps up on you, if you let it, and I wouldn't be surprised if this led me, under the right circumstances, to snap up every Heinemann African Writers Series work, not to mention Nwapa work, that I come across from here on out. The situation being what it is, I've still found myself being able to snap up works published under a similarly minded imprint for literal pennies per individual piece, and if no one else is going to take advantage of it, I certainly will.

'That's what people are like. Sometimes it is better not to be sympathized with. Women can sympathize in a most annoying manner,' Idu added.
'That's how you women behave. We men don't sympathize like that,' Adiewere said.
'You are right, Adiewere. We are like that. But you know, if you don't act as everyone else does, you are accused of not being sympathetic,' said Idu.
'But sometimes your sympathizers laugh at you,'
Adiewere said.
'Yes, they laugh at you,'

The term 'buried' gets thrown around way too much in certain reading lexicons, but for a work like this, there's some merit to the usage.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Children are all we pray for. If one has children, one has everything."
I'm sure Idu believed that too, but when it came right down to it, her choice was clear.

[Ashley Okwuosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty much a love story, the synopsis is accurate but it definitely places too much of an emphasis on whether or not Idu's decides to marry her late husband's brother. By doing that, it doesn't set you up enough for this beautiful and tragic story of love, marriage, friendship, community, and the cultural beliefs that hold them all together.

[Mills College Library]

Fiction N992i 1970

[Desca Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

The review is taken from my Instagram account: @descanto

I read this book based on the recommendation from Ernita @thebookmarketng

Idu is unlike any African women. If any other heroines are portrayed as the victims of patriarchal society. Idu is portrayed differently. She is quite successful as a wife. Her husband Adiewere is one-wife-type. He is very much in love with Idu. He once took a second wife but it was because Idu forced him to do so after she had some problems in being pregnant. He would like to give things up for Idu. He is also generous and kind. He looks after Anamadi, Idu's sister who is mentally unstable. Definitely type of men one would die for! Both Idu and Adiewere are also financially well-off and well-respected by the society. Their opinions are counted by the people in the community. What a great life they are leading!

I do really enjoy reading the novel. It portrays the local culture there and the social stigma - not only about women but also men. Idu would have to deal with people's sarcasm because she is unable to bear children in her first marriage. On the other hand, people scoff at Amarajeme for not being able to perform his duty to his wife sexually. And when Adiewere passes away, Ishiodu will have to take Idu as his wife because that is the culture they have there. Instead of being his husband's wife, Idu decides to follow her husband to the land of death.

The novel does not only enrich the African literature but entertain the readers with its love story. The love story in the novel is simple but is very profounding. It makes one longing to have the love like what Idu and Adiewere have.

Will I recommend this novel? Yes, definitely!

[Nina]

The back cover of my copy of this book revealed a ~major spoiler~ that I spent the whole book waiting for but didn't come until ten pages from the end. So that got me thinking that maybe that one major plot point was only secondary to ~something else~ I was supposed to be getting from this book. So I immersed myself in the dialogue style and goings-on in the town where it took place. And then I was sad when it ended.

[Shefali Sharma]

Flora Nwapa and her women characters are always fascinating, outspoken and warrior in their own way. Such a good read it is...

[Edidiong Benjamin Umoh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tragic 😞