I loved Obinze’s character. He was charismatic, caring, and intelligent. Granted he was a bit of a snob when it came to America, but he was good with Ifemelu and their relationship was gold. Now, though, I’m a bit more skeptical of him, to put it kindly. When he and Ifemelu first reconnected at the… Continue reading F**king Coward: Why I Hate Obinze Now

For those of you poor souls who are unaware, this is from a fantastic show called 30 Rock. I was rererewatching one episode, and I realized that this quote almost perfectly represents what Adichie tries to convey through Ifemelu and her blog. Obviously race is a very important and prevalent theme in the book, and… Continue reading How 30 Rock Approaches Race

Something I thought was very interesting and important in the plot of “Americanah” is the detail that Obinze’s mother died. It’s suggested that she died peacefully and suddenly. I thought that this was an interesting writing choice, since it contrasts her character so much. She was a social justice warrior who led protests for gender… Continue reading Grief and How It Plays with your Life

Something I’ve noticed in Ifemelu in these last few chapters is how she’s gravitating back towards Obinze. I don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it, but I think she’s been trying to find her way back to Obinze since she left him. I think she cheated on Curt because she was trying to sabotage… Continue reading Liar, Liar

Something I discussed in an earlier post was Adichie’s characterization of the women in “Americanah.” At first glance, many of the female characters are mentally unstable or just downright unpleasant. After a while, though, it becomes clear that Adichie is actually empowering the women by making them flawed. Like the characters in “Things Fall Apart,”… Continue reading Men, Amiright?

Something Adichie does marvelously is a circular narrative structure. She gives us a glimpse of some important plot point early on, and then expands on it later, in a way that shows us just how important minor instances in characters’ lives, and how they can be hugely impactful. I first noticed this structure when it… Continue reading Running Circles around Americanah’s Plot

So far in Americanah, the theme of expectations, both expectations about a culture or about a person, has been heavily interspersed in the book. I’m a bit hesitant to blog about this now, because I know there will be plenty more examples of this theme as the book continues. Nevertheless, there’s too much material even… Continue reading Expect the Expected

In Americanah, there is a poignant and discomforting moment where Ifemelu resorts to selling herself to a tennis coach so she can have enough money for rent and food. As soon as I read this, I was struck by how glaringly similar this scenario was to one in a short story entitled “Geese.” In “Geese”… Continue reading Geese in Americanah

After growing up in a church, gym (I used to be a competitive rock climber), and school which all told me my femininity was a weakness to be suppressed to allow the men to thrive, I’m pretty sensitive, and more than a little cynical, when it comes to seeing “strong female characters” in literature. So… Continue reading Women, Amiright?