Writing for The Afro Vibe, Mwinji Siame has written a love letter to Chinelo Okparanta’s 2015 debut novel Under the Udala Trees:

When a novel takes Things Falling Apart to a whole new level but leaves you feeling whole, when it asks you to be vulnerable and open, and in return fills you with hope, it is difficult not to fall in love. You, Under the Udala Trees published in the 2015th year of our Lord, are one such novel. So, in the spirit of reviving the art of letter writing (I wish the letters contained in your pages had been longer), and epic romance, I thought I would write you this thank-you-slash-love letter.

… [t]hey will also attempt to turn you into a “sweeping” tale about war (in Africa), politics (in Africa) and poverty (in Africa). Never-the-less they will fail. […] through your strikingly simple prose, and the close attention you pay to everyday actives like running errands, preparing food, and making love; we walk away with a sense of the variedness and richness of life. UTUT, because of your generosity, we walk away feeling whole.

• To read Siame’s full piece, visit The Afro Vibe here

About Under the Udala Trees:

One day in 1968, at the height of the Biafran civil war, Ijeoma’s father is killed and her world is transformed forever. Separated from her grief-stricken mother, she meets another young lost girl, Amina, and the two become inseparable. Theirs is a relationship that will shake the foundations of Ijeoma’s faith, test her resolve and flood her heart.

In this masterful novel of faith, love and redemption, Okparanta takes us from Ijeoma’s childhood in war-torn Biafra, through the perils and pleasures of her blossoming sexuality, her wrong turns, and into the everyday sorrows and joys of marriage and motherhood. As we journey with Ijeoma we are drawn to the question: what is the value of love and what is the cost?

A triumphant love story written with beauty and delicacy, Under the Udala Trees is a hymn to those who’ve lost and a prayer for a more compassionate world. It is a work of extraordinary beauty that will enrich your heart.

Click on the link above for more about the book!

 

Categories Africa Fiction International

Tags Chinelo Okparanta Jonathan Ball Publishers Mwinji Siame The Afro Vibe Under the Udala Trees