He gave her a copy of Huckleberry Finn, the pages creased from his thumbing, and she started reading it on the bus home but stopped after a few chapters. The next morning, she put it down on his desk with a decided thump. “Unreadable nonsense,” she said. “It’s written in different American dialects,” Obinze said. “And so what? I still don’t understand it.” “You have to be patient, Ifem. If you really get into it, it’s very interesting and you won’t want to stop reading.” “I’ve already stopped reading. Please keep your proper books and leave me with the books I like. And by the way, I still win
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