His Only Wife

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I was never bored while reading this, but as soon as I finished I wondered how I was not constantly bored. Peace Adzo Medie’s debut novel His Only Wife is a book you will read and continue to think about for months to come. Afi is a girl on a mission and on her way to succeed she makes many friends and learns many things about herself and the world around her. The author was great at creating potential opportunities for tension but she often just releases them without exploring further or stoking the flames so there were lots of moments were my expectations for more drama were built and then allowed to fall flat.

I understand why Afi wasn’t open to it, but, as you say, it might have been interesting to explore the idea more fully.I mention place because Peace Adzo Medie accomplishes a wonderful pull-and-push between the two main geographic settings in the story: the big city (Accra) and the country town (Ho) where many of the central characters are from. This is the core of the struggle laid out in this book written through Afi’s perspective - the story is a fight to make her husband hers, and hold on to him, to keep his attentions on her instead of the other woman in his life. As she balances the often conflicting roles of wife, daughter, niece and sister-in-law, Afi starts to question whether she has made the right choice.

When the matriarch of a very powerful and rich Ghanaian family arranges for Afi to be married to her son Eli, Afi has no choice but to agree.I loved the background descriptions of Ghanaian life but the underlying story is just so simplistic. Then it seemed that all of a sudden the idea of this 'other' woman was unbearable to her, when she knew from the very start that he was already in a relationship with someone else (making Afi the 'other' woman). Elikem Ganyo is a wealthy businessman whose family has chosen Afi in the hope that she will distract him from a relationship with another woman they think is inappropriate.

As it is, this is a good story about contemporary polygamous relationships and arranged marriages with modern couples in West Africa and one young woman’s courageous journey to discovering her boundaries with love and relationships. As Afi grows, we are both thrilled and saddened on her behalf, she handles each obstacle with admirable grace, and even at her worst she is able to adapt and stand her ground. Very little action, and lite on the drama and plot when there were more than a few opportunities to bring it. At a time when adventure is scarce, Medie gives you a lot to look forward to, think about and be grateful for.A well written book, that encompasses the struggles of women,particularly African women and the patriachal society and culture they are brought up in. The ceremony was held on the third Saturday in January in the rectangular courtyard” of Afi’s uncle’s house. Then a wonderful Cinderella story where Afi is swept off her feet to live in a shiny apartment in Accra. Like this story, the ending was more bittersweet than fascinating, but both feature protagonists who are allowed to be flawed, complete women on their own terms, even when they are unlikable or difficult.

Afi and her mother do little but sit in an opulent Accra flat, waiting for Eli to grace them with his presence.He seemed to enjoy the ease of the relationship with her and how it allowed him to keep the peace with his family but deep down I think he was in love with Muna. Aki and Eli are virtual strangers with an arranged marriage because Eli’s mother and siblings want to pry him away from his Liberian girlfriend Muna and their young daughter Ivy. I picked it up because it was one of Reece’s book club books and although I knew I wanted to start a new book, I also knew I would totally be hooked on Steve Kornacki’s khakis the entire time I was reading so it had to be light.