Discussion: Under the Udala Trees

[George]

I read this when it came out. Ugandan law has much in common with Nigeria.

[Monica]

I thought the book was wonderful. I was not expecting to be so captivated. I think what got me was the humanness of it all. The world building was superb. I knew I was reading about another country entirely with different culture etc and yet I connected with Ijeoma. I understood her points of view and shared many of her perceptions. The first half of the book with the religious dogma was interesting to me, but I was completely detached. The moment someone starts to explain their behavior or point of view by telling me what the bible says it’s just like flipping an off switch. I’m not listening. But Ijeoma comes from a background where the bible gives her family hope. It is the very foundation of their lives. She not only has internal conflicts with biological imperatives, but with the very foundations of what her parents have laid for her. Interestingly enough, I found commonality in the second half of the book regardless of sexual preference. The desire to carve out a life that is meaningful and comfortable and pleasant. Finding your way through life is difficult on its own, even more so if you are gay and living in a very ignorant and intolerant country. But Ijeoma’s basic struggle was the same as everyone else; finding herself and figuring out a way to carve out a happy life. I have a heterosexual friend right now staring at a marriage to a person that is amiable and kind but there is not love. The hope is for a comfortable life with someone who is acceptable to the family. Love and intimacy are sacrificed to the idea of what is a societal norm. They wish and hope those things will grow with time. Ijeoma says it herself when she says

“There’s a way in which life takes us along for a ride and we begin to think that our destinies are not in fact up to us.”

One of the most self-destructive, almost universally applied axioms/antidotes/cure all/solutions to life’s issues is the notion of “give it time” or "give it a chance". It wasn’t until Ijeoma gave everything she had to make things work within the conventional norms that her mother finally accepted who Ijeoma was. But there was a tremendous amount of suffering and destruction in a lot of lives before her mother came around. And isn’t that part of what is goes on in everyone’s life at some point? We spend a tremendous amount of effort trying to conform to societal norms often leaving a destructive wake while denying our true selves. Trying to be what someone else expects. It was gratifying that her mother did come around in the end. It was gratifying that Ijeoma is living her truth now. She still has to hide herself from society, but at least she doesn’t have to hide from her mother. In spite of her mother’s initial reservations and behavior, she was Ijeoma’s rock in life and her support. I received the book in such a way that her mother did love her and wanted what’s best for her. She never outright rejected her daughter. That Ijeoma at the end of her marriage went back to her mother’s house and said

“Mama, I can’t, I can’t anymore.”

says this to me. She did have a place to go. Her mother didn’t abandon her. I came to love her mother. She was doing the best she knew how to do; but in the end she chose her daughter over everything including religious teachings. And as Alexa said above, Ijeoma managed to retain her faith. Her mother’s last line says it all

“Ka udo di, ka ndu di.” Let peace be, let life be.

[Rebecca]

I like your final thoughts and agree Monica. Excellent review.

[Wilhelmina]

This has been such a great discussion and I loved the book also. I don't know whether anyone else is a fan of The Moth on public radio, but this segment of the show was excellent. The speaker, Bisi Alimi, talks about coming out as a gay man in Nigeria. He currently lives in London and runs the Bisi Alimi Foundation, a foundation committed to improving the lives of sexual and gender minorities in Nigeria.

http://themoth.org/posts/stories/my-f...

[ColumbusReads]

Monica wrote: "I thought the book was wonderful. I was not expecting to be so captivated. I think what got me was the humanness of it all. The world building was superb. I knew I was reading about another country..."

Excellent, Monica! Thank you!

[ColumbusReads]

Wilhelmina wrote: "This has been such a great discussion and I loved the book also. I don't know whether anyone else is a fan of The Moth on public radio, but this segment of the show was excellent. The speaker, Bisi..."

This was really moving. I really had no idea where this was going.

I'm a big fan of public radio but unfamiliar with The Moth. Thanks!

[Sarah]

Great review, Monica. Thank you for your insight.

[Wilhelmina]

Monica wrote: "I thought the book was wonderful. I was not expecting to be so captivated. I think what got me was the humanness of it all. The world building was superb. I knew I was reading about another country..."

Beautiful, Monica!

[George]

Yes, very nice indeed!

[William]

My reaction to Ijeoma's "retaining her faith" at the end was a little different. It was predictable and not surprising to me. I made a mental note of it early on in the tale. After all, she got bludgeoned by the bible pretty badly in the beginning. Would the book have even been published had she turned into a rabid anti-theist or perhaps mentally unhinged? Given the fact that the Catholic church financed the slave trade and that European governments and businesses decimated the African kingdoms that made up pre-Nigeria all in the name of White Jesus, the descendants of those unfortunate people are an awfully forgiving bunch. So much so that Nigeria has proudly unveiled the largest statue of White Jesus on the continent very recently. I guess there is something to forgiveness but all I can do is smdh.

[Lark]

Monica wrote: "I thought the book was wonderful. I was not expecting to be so captivated. I think what got me was the humanness of it all. The world building was superb. I knew I was reading about another country..."

Monica, thank you so much for all you gave me to think about.

[ColumbusReads]

Thanks to all those who participated in the discussion. I really thought the author did a wonderful job capturing an exquisite and exciting love story amidst the Biafran conflict and did an extraordinary job. It's still rather disconcerting to know that in almost 50 years little has changed on this front. In some sense you think there may have been a regression. Sad.

Any final thoughts on this book? Also, curious to know if anyone gave this book less than a four star ranking?

[Louise]

I didn't participate in the discussion but I read everything with interest. I thought this was a beautifully written book and look forward to reading more from this author, including her short stories.

[Virginie (chouettblog)]

Although I missed out on the discussion I could not miss out on reading this book, even though I finished it later than planned.
This was a beautiful story and I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit, the beautiful, the sad and the ugly.

Thank you Team LFPOC for introducing us to such a wonderful novel.