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Americanah

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Start date: February 1, 2017

Finish date: February 28, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: February theme/topic of Immigration Status.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Americanah by Chimaman…more
[close] February theme/topic of Immigration Status.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Americanah

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Apr 22, 2020 performativeleserin rated it liked it

Americanah

I have the feeling I might actually kick myself out of the bookstagram for this review but I can‘t change it. I really, really, really wanted to like this book because I think highly of Adichie. But I just couldn‘t.

Pros:

I finished this book because I expected it to get better but it just did not happen.
Yes, I liked Ifemelu‘s immigrant story and how she made it into the US - a country that made her first realize that she is indeed black, and that this blackness is going to be an obstac Americanah

I have the feeling I might actually kick myself out of the bookstagram for this review but I can‘t change it. I really, really, really wanted to like this book because I think highly of Adichie. But I just couldn‘t.

Pros:

I finished this book because I expected it to get better but it just did not happen.
Yes, I liked Ifemelu‘s immigrant story and how she made it into the US - a country that made her first realize that she is indeed black, and that this blackness is going to be an obstacle for her. I liked how Ifemelu spoke about her experience as an American African, a experience I share with her because when I used to live in the States, I barely felt any connection to the Arab-Americans there. Even when I met Egyptian there, I had the feeling that being an Austrian Egyptian (how weird to say that) meant something completely different than an American Egyptian.
I also liked how she speaks about race, how logical it is, and her blog posts are probably what kept me reading.

Cons - Spoiler

Reading Americanah was so tedious. I have the feeling that the characters were so superficial. She (and Obinze in UK) meet so many people along the way, who played one or the other role and we kind of hear about them towards the end again but only when it‘s about Ifemelu. For an almost 500 pages book, I really wanted to know more about Obinze‘s broken dreams after he got deported, and not only the attempt of repressing it and becoming this rich. I hated the love story between them, which happened on the last, what?, 70? 80? pages? It didn‘t make any fucking sense to return and be a home wrecker, the cheating part seemed so weak since he was already looking for ways out of thus relationship for years but it made me hate Obinze that he falls for Ifemelu again even though ages have passed and she clearly isn‘t the same person anymore. I hated how she was about to date someone else and only because Obinze is back, she leaves everything and anyone behind her.
I don‘t know. There were situations where I really wanted to know more but they just came to an end and that‘s it. We have to accept it.

But then again, maybe the ordinary aspect of this is book is what made it so great and I just didn‘t realize that? I don‘t know, but here we go. That‘s my stack picture of the only picture I will probably finish in April.

PS: This picture is made by the amazing, super talented @saluteyasin and it‘s such a perfect fit because the unspoken, the elusive heartache Ifemelu feels during her stay in the US, the absence of her beloved ones is exactly what غربة is about :) Thank you for this gift. I absolutely love it. ...more

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