Writers of Color Book Club discussion

Here we will discuss Chapters 1-13. Please make sure that you are courteous when divulging events in the book. If you feel like it is going to give something HUGE away in the book please use the (view spoiler)[spoiler brackets. (hide spoiler)]

Ok, I just finished the first 13 chapters yesterday so I'm just gonna share some initial thoughts on what I've read so far.

- She writes in a way that give me very clear images of what is happening, how things look & feel etc, without spending a lot of time explaining stuff in detail. She manages to give me exactly what I need to convey a very clear image of a person/situation. To me this is a good example of "show, don't tell"-writing.

- Also about the language, and this might be because I've heard her talk in different lectures online, but the english seems to me to be a Nigerian english, and not an American english. I can't put my finger on it, but I feel there's a slight difference, that I like a lot, because I feel like she writes in a very personal voice.

- (view spoiler)[The relationship between Bartholomew's posts in the online paper and her own thoughts (and possibly also blogposts) interest me. I'm not saying she's doing the same thing as him, but there are similarities, are there not? Especially thinking about how she talks about Dike's school compared to her own experience in Nigerian schools. The, perhaps inevitably nostalgic, image of "the old country" compared to "the new country". (hide spoiler)]

- My favourite two passages, so far, are the first paragraph on p117 ("He had not....they had become") and on p105 "Dike sprang up....(to end of blog post)". Adichies way of capturing these minor characters so quickly, and at the same time give a very clear image of Ifemelu, is so great.

- One thing that sliiiightly bothers me is that some of the situations she describes in her first time in Philadelphia, seem a bit constructed to convey specific points, and not 100% "organic".

Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts!

I agree with Rebecka, I really enjoy how she writes the plot, giving us many details that help us come to our own conclusions about characters.

I also thought that some of the observations she made about Ifemelu's reaction to the USA a bit cookie-cutter, for example how Ifemelu discussed just how many different types of cereal she had to choose from. On the other hand. that is something that people I know have commented on when visiting the USA for their first time as well...

I like how Adichie addresses american reactions to Ifemelu as well, and the short discussion of African American vs. American African, and the question of what Dike would be considered.

I have a bad feeling about Aunt Uju, I'm worried something bad will happen to her... It just seems that there is some foreshadowing about that...

I've just read a few pages till now but the writing is so good and vivid with so many details without being boring at all. I'm not far enough to tell about the story but I'm pretty sure I'm going to love this book.

Elli (The Bibliophile) wrote: "I agree with Rebecka, I really enjoy how she writes the plot, giving us many details that help us come to our own conclusions about characters.

I also thought that some of the observations she ma..."

I'm sorry to say I get the same feeling about Aunty Uju...(view spoiler)[I was really worried about Dike as well, but the one sentence that mentioned Dike and her laughing about that summer of math/s way ahed in the future, felt pretty reassuring... (hide spoiler)]

It seems to be a common feature in some of the literary fiction i've read lately to go back and forth in the timeline quite a bit. I'm enjoying that style, it's good for foreshadowing. As an English person who's never been to either Nigeria or the US, i'm enjoying discovering things about the two countries along with Ifemelu. Oh, does anyone have a resource which might help me with the pronunciation of any of these names? I feel like i'm butchering them in my mind.

Louise wrote: "It seems to be a common feature in some of the literary fiction i've read lately to go back and forth in the timeline quite a bit. I'm enjoying that style, it's good for foreshadowing. As an Englis..."

Here are some specific times in a talk on Youtube where she pronounces a few things,
23:15 "ahn-ahn" and "Ifemelu"
25:55 "Obinze"
35:20 "Aunty Uju"
1:06:20 "Kosi"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8r-d...

Don't watch the entire talk if you don't want lots of spoilers, though!

Great, thanks Rebecka!

I agree with everyone about finding the book really engaging so far. This is the first book set in Nigeria I have read, and I have really enjoyed her insights into the life and culture there.

Sometimes when reading a book that switches from the present back the past, I can feel a bit bored because I know what's coming and want to hurry up and get back to the present. That is definitely not the case in this book. I have loved all the background information, and I actually kind of dread getting back to the present a little bit because we know how discontent Ifemelu and Obinze are with their current lives.

Also, thanks Rebecka for posting that video with the pronunciations. That was really helpful!

This story is definitely engaging. I find myself laughing about the food and supermarket observations Ifemelu makes. As a non-American myself I can totally relate both to that and to the not-dressing-up-before-a-party-situation. During my time in the U.S. I definitely felt overdressed on more than one occasion!

At the same time I feel very sad and uncomfortable with the intraracism and self-degrading attitude I feel several of the characters have. It makes me question where the line between adapting and opressing is to be drawn.

Even though I like this book a lot so far I have to say that many of the characters seem very stereotypical. I hope this will change as the story goes on because at this point they don't seem that complex to me.