"Americanah" Week One (Ch. 1 - 7)

I am going to break down each chapter by what is happening and some of my thoughts. My overall thoughts will be saved for the last section, where I discuss my opinions, feelings, and thoughts on both what happened, and what I think will happen. **It is also to be noted that "Americanah" is adult fiction, so please be advised.**

Ch. 1: The novel opens with Ifemelu and how she is going through the motions of her life, before realizing that she needs to go back to Nigeria in order to feel full-filled. Ifemelu seems very bitter and unhappy in America. She feels discontent in her relationship with her African-American (I have to specify this because it is blatantly a point of contention for the author) professor boyfriend, Blaine. She's not unhappy, but she feels like something in her life is missing. She also finds that she hates how her body has gained weight and is now "fat". Ifemelu goes through an inner monologue about her discontent and her decision to go back to Nigeria. We follow her as she prepares to leave with the the second half of the chapter focusing on her going to an African hair salon to get her braids done. The shop owner isn't Nigerian and Ifemelu doesn't like any of the women in the shop, especially her stylist. Her stylist has vitiligo, which disgusts Ifemelu and is dating two men who are Igbo (a tribe/culture of people in Nigeria), just like Ifemelu. Ifemelu tries to avoid talking to her by sending an email to her married ex-boyfriend, Obinze, about her returning to Nigeria. Ifemelu's bitterness seems to stem from her unhappiness and possible depression. Ifemelu comes off as judgmental towards everyone, but can't take judgment directed at her. I truly hated how she treated the hair stylist just because the women are ignorant of Nigerians. She doesn't take the moment as a way to teach them about her culture. Instead, she ignores them while silently judging them, when she can just leave. I wonder if she is projecting, or if her judgmental attitude is a defense-mechanism?

Ch. 2: This chapter focuses on Obinze, who is now a wealthy man in Nigeria, after he receives the email that Ifemelu sends at the end of the previous chapter. Obinze seems unhappy in his wealthy life and in his marriage. He doesn't like the wealthy people around him, and he hates how his family and friends treat him differently. Obinze obtained his wealth through shady means with the help of a man named Chief, who he met through his cousin. After attending a party with his wife (Kosi), Obinze writes an email to Ifemelu, despite knowing Kosi has a jealous/insecure streak. I don't mind Obinze compared to Ifemelu, but I do think that he is heading down a dangerous path. He says that he isn't the type to cheat, but he doesn't tell Kosi about the email and he was continuously thinking about Ifemelu after receiving her email. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I think he is going to end up cheating on Kosi with Ifemelu after she returns to Nigeria. Or at least do some emotional cheating, which is still wrong and doesn't help his marriage. I get that Nigeria is a different country and culture, but people really need to be open about their feelings. He might even be happier if he was able to at least talk about his dissatisfaction with the way his life has been going. Although, I can see people looking at him like he has nothing to complain about since he is doing well for himself.

Ch. 3: This chapter talks about religion and Ifemelu's parents. Her parents have a good relationship when Ifemelu is younger, but their relationship is tested by her mother's flakiness in regards to religion. Her mother would change religions at the drop of a hat. Their marriage is also tested when her father loses his job. We also see Ifemelu's dislike of religion comes through due to her mother's gullible nature when it came to religion. We see Ifemelu's defiance come out towards religion and authority figures, which she probably got from her dad (even if he doesn't see it that way). We get to know more about her Aunty Uju, who is way more interesting than anybody else that we've read about so far. My thoughts revolve around the focus on religion and even the caste system of society (which is subtly referenced compared to the religious aspect). I truly didn't care for the religion aspect of Ifemelu's childhood, but it does make me understand why she is so judgmental considering her mother's antics and how they affected Ifemelu's childhood. I do think that Ifemelu got her strength from her father, who she also got her arrogance/pride from. Our parents, especially the ones who raise us, are a defining part of ourselves that come out years later. I don't doubt that we will see how her childhood affects her as an adult later on in the story.

Ch. 4: This chapter is about how Obinze and Ifemelu meet in secondary school, and how they began their relationship. The chapter also introduces several of their friends, who are all wealthy and popular. Ifemelu and Obinze's romantic relationship is very much a teenage love story, in that they are seen as an It-Couple (despite the fact that they weren't for each other in the first place). Obinze's friend, Kayode, wants to hook Obinze up with a popular girl named Ginika, who is a friend of Ifemelu. At one of Kayode's parties, Obinze officially meets both Ginika (who Kayode told Obinze was perfect for her) and Ifemelu, who accompanied Ginika. Obinze only has eyes for Ifemelu, although she doesn't understand why. It definitely foreshadows Ifemelu's aloofness and restlessness in her relationship(s). I found the way that they met kinda cute, and I liked how Adichie really showcases their feelings as lovebirds/teenagers in love, meaning that they (mainly Obinze) think they were destined for each other.

Ch. 5: This chapter goes deeper into Ifemelu and Obinze's relationship (especially their family backgrounds), and Ifemelu meets Obinze's mother, a college professor. Ifemelu feels weird and out of place within Obinze's friend group (and with his mother) because she comes from a lower background compared to them. She hates that she isn't rich, well-traveled, or as smart as Obinze and his mother. To me, there seems to be some resentment building due to Ifemelu's insecurities, which might feed into her judgmental attitude later on.

Ch. 6: This chapter focuses on Aunty Uju's relationship with the married "General", who provides for Aunty Uju's lifestyle. Ifemelu paints the beginning as a wonderful fairytale (before she realized Aunty Uju was the General's mistress), but it deteriorates over time as Ifemelu becomes aware of the precarious position Uju has put herself in. These thoughts of Ifemelu really come forward when she discovers that Uju doesn't have a checking account and when she becomes pregnant with the General's love child, later named Dike. I think part of Ifemelu's withdrawal from her relationships is because she doesn't want to become reliant on a man, like her Aunty Uju. My thoughts are further strengthened when Ifemelu witnesses Aunty Uju fleeing the country to America after the General is killed in a plane crash and his wife's family goes after Aunty Uju, who no longer has any protection. I think this chapter has a lot of meaning into how Ifemelu looks at relationships after seeing Aunty Uju's relationship with the General. Ifemelu was okay with the relationship until she saw that Aunty Uju relied on the General for everything, which greatly concerned Ifemelu. The concern, I believe, transfers to Ifemelu's life and relationships. She doesn't want to become reliant on anyone, especially after seeing how quickly everything can change or be taken away through by another person, and you have no control. This idea is ironic, due to the fact Ifemelu seems to hold all the cards in her relationship with Obinze, and she just might end up being the one to screw him over later on.

Ch. 7: This chapter focus on Ifemelu and Obinze going off to college at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka (Adichie's alma mater) and them having sex for the first time, resulting in a pregnancy scare (actually just appendicitis). Strains in their relationship become apparent as Ifemelu becomes interested in another boy, which Obinze is worried about, but doesn't press the issue. I found that this entire chapter really highlighted the way each of them views this relationship. Ifemelu doesn't seem to hold this relationship as something that will last, as her eyes wander and her freakout about getting pregnant. (Note: My guy friend pointed out the pregnancy part, but I feel it was a mix of not fully being in the relationship and the fact that she saw what happened to Aunty Uju.) Meanwhile, Obinze looks at this relationship as it is going to last forever and that while the pregnancy is not planned, it would have happened eventually. Their different levels of commitment really showcase different aspects of their personality. Ifemelu holds this flakiness, which is reminiscent of her mother's flakiness with religion. Obinze is loyal to a fault, which I think will come to bite him in the butt later on in the book whenever they reconnect in the present timeline.

Final Thoughts: I find Ifemelu to be judgmental and cold, partly due to her experiences and how she has seen people (mainly her parents and Aunty Uju) treated by the upper-class in Nigeria/Lagos. I think her judgmental attitude is a defense mechanism because she had such an unstable childhood due to her mother's wishy-washy attitude with religion (which made her act crazy sometimes), as well as seeing her Aunty Uju relies so heavily on a man, who couldn't protect her after he dies. She has become discontent with her life, but hopes to find happiness in Africa. However, I don't think she will actually find happiness there because she is thinking of Nigeria through rose-tinted glasses. She also doesn't seem to really have a plan for when she gets there, so I feel that her impulsiveness will come back to haunt her later in life.

As for Obinze, I really want to know what made him so numb to his life. I understand the message that money won't buy you happiness, but he just doesn't seem to care about anything (except maybe his daughter). He only seems to have a positive reaction towards Ifemelu's email (albeit more being surprise). He finds a lot of his wife's actions as annoying and unnecessary, and all I can think about is "you married her"! I really hope Obinze's happiness isn't centered around Ifemelu. I'm all for love and destiny, but I don't like it when it involves people that are already in relationships. I especially get the idea that the author is foreshadowing that they will end up cheating. This idea was formed when Obinze didn't understand his wife's antagonistic attitude towards a maid and that if Kosi really knew him then she would know he would never cheat.

Week Two is now up! Week Three should be up on August 17th, followed by the Weeks Four and Five by August 22nd! Week Six will be posted by August 28th, and Week One of our second book, "The Shadows Between Us", will be posted by September 4th.

Edit: Wording issues and Chapter 3 was a little incomplete.