The Book Bump

First published: 2006
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Language: English
Genre: Historical fiction
My rating: 2/5

The 1960s, Nigeria. Post-colonial optimism to the end of the Biafran war.

The novel follows the lives of five main characters, Ugwu, a houseboy, Odenigbo, a revolutionary university professor, Olanna, an upper-middle-class woman and Odenigbo’s lover, Kainene, a ruthless businesswoman and Olanna’s non-identical twin sister and Richard, a British expat and Kainene’s lover.

The beginning of the novel takes place shortly after Nigeria gained independence from the British Empire. Spirits are high.

However, as the sixties end, the racial tension between the Hausa and the Igbo builds past boiling point and the fight for an independent Biafra begins.

This review is hard for me. The book was both harrowing but also a little (dare I say it) boring. I realise I will be in the minority here, but the novel didn’t do it for me.

As someone who had no idea about the recent history of Nigeria, I found the novel to be very enlightening. I learned a lot. What Biafran citizens endured to try and proclaim themselves as an independent country is heartbreaking.

The backdrop for this historical fiction has everything a reader needs to be pulled into the Biafran cause.

The biggest problem I have with this book is the style. I almost felt like I was being lectured. It was difficult to read and engage with the characters.

The characters fell a little flat. They had little to no character development.

Ugwu is an immature houseboy, who lusts after every woman he sees. Yes, he’s thirteen, but that doesn’t excuse his perverse thoughts. He only matures after he’s been to battle, and that only after committing atrocities.

Odenigbo is all mouth and no trousers. He claims to be a revolutionary but doesn’t do much in the war effort. He seemed to fade to nothingness as the book went on.

Olanna is depicted as perfect. She’s middle-class but “throws away” her privilege to be with Odenigbo. She brought on most of her drama upon herself, which made it impossible to pity her.

Kainene is a little more interesting. She seems to be one of the only main characters who devotes herself to the war effort.

And Richard is rather forgettable. Other than worrying about his inability to perform in bed, I don’t really remember what he brought to the narrative.

A lot of the narrative focuses on their relationship and their sex lives. It’s not what I was expecting when I picked up this book.

The pacing was slow, except for the final few chapters. It was a drag to read some chapters, especially when the focus was the family drama and not the actual drama of the war. The final few chapters of the book redeem the novel somewhat.

I read the book all the way to the end because I wanted to see how the war would affect the characters. To see what change it would bring in them. But again, I was rather disappointed.

I would have preferred more focus on the war-torn country, the real struggles of finding food, and being called up to fight for Biafra, instead of petty everyday dramas.