Sunday 6 November 2011

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie


The Thing Around Your Neck is a short story collection by one of my favourite authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  Having previously read and loved Purple Hibiscus (my review) and especially Half of a Yellow Sun (my review - go and get a copy now if you haven't read it), I couldn't wait to get my hands on this collection, her only work published in book form that I had yet to read.  And I wasn't disappointed.

The Thing Around Your Neck is a short story collection about women, the immigrant experience, things not working out the way they should and homesickness.  All of the women in the stories have a connection of some kind with Nigeria; some are on their way to America to marry Nigerian men who have already made it, some are caught up in violence, some are writing about it and some are missing it with every bone in their body.  Nigeria appears as almost a character in it's own right -  a whirl of colours, smells, sound and vibrancy compared with a grey, bland, tasteless America.


Aside from that, the other major theme that I could identify was disappointment and expectations not being met.  The stories are full of Nigerian women who have moved to America anticipating a land of milk and honey and found themselves disappointed, both with their new country and their new husbands.  In The Arrangers of Marriage, Chinaza is encouraged by her husband to cook only American food, change her name and be as American as possible, resulting in a deep homesickness.  She can't write home about her misery as her relatives all assume she will have a big house, a car and all the perks of living in America.

I had several favourite stories from the collection.  One was A Private Experience, a story of an unlikely friendship between a Hausa Muslim and Igbo Christian during race riots in Nigeria.  Another was On Monday of Last Week, about the loneliness of a woman working as a nanny for an American family.  Although Tomorrow is Too Far didn't really fit in with the themes of the rest of the collection, it was a very creepy story about sibling rivalry.

But my favourite story was Jumping Monkey Hill, about a group of upcoming African writers invited to a safari lodge in South Africa for a writing seminar by a white sponsor.  It seemed as though Adichie had used this story to vent all of her frustrations about the attitude towards and labels given to African writers as most of the stories the Africans write are disparaged by the white sponsor.  He wants them only to write of war, desperation, hunger and stereotypes, not the truth of their experiences and countries.

To sum up, I would highly recommend this well written collection, especially if you are interested in the immigrant experience.

Source: Library
First published: 2009
Score: 4.5 out of 5

13 comments:

  1. I *loved* Half of a Yellow Sun when it came out and I picked this book up immediately when it was published but for some reason it just languished on my shelf. I seem to recall picking it up and giving it a try but I didn't get very far, but I don't remember more than that. Reading your review makes me want to give it another shot!

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  2. I enjoyed these stories despite (because of?) their great unhappiness. I found a copy of Half of a Yellow Sun at a used book store for $3, so I'll be reading it next year for my Nigeria pick. I remember you saying how much you liked her,

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  3. The Thing Around Your Neck has been on my radar for awhile, but this post reminds me that I really want to read this story collection.

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  4. Isn't she such a brilliant writer? I have been waiting to read the next from her. Great review, glad you liked it. This is one of my favorite books as well.

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  5. I have not read anything by her yet but I keep seeing her name pop up here and there. I'll have to add this to my TBR list :)

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  6. As The Crowe Flies, the first stories in the collection are not the best, it's worth sticking with as some of the later stories are amazing. Hope you enjoy it if you do decide to give it another shot.

    Jenny, there was a lot of unhappiness but also some success and a lot of strength. I love Half of a Yellow Sun, so I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on it.

    Bibliophiliac, happy reading :)

    SoulMuser, she is a fabulous writer. I can't wait for something else to be published. Do you know if there are any plans?

    Trish, read Half of a Yellow Sun first, then this one :)

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  7. I loved Purple Hibiscus and have to try this book as well. Thanks for mentioning it.

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  8. I haven't read Purple Hibiscus or Half a Yellow Moon I'm sorry to say. It sounds as if this short story collection might be a good starting place as I'm interested in the immigrant experience.

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  9. Diane, hope you enjoy this book. I would recommend Half of a Yellow Sun as well.

    Linda, it would be a good starting place, hope you enjoy it.

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  10. I have been wanting to read something by this author for a loooong time but have never gotten round to it. Maybe a book of short stories would do the trick.

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  11. i have to yet read all of these books by this author (Half of a Yellow Sun is on my TBR for sometime now owing to its being on the 1001 Books to read list). Thanks for the great reviews. Am following you now. And Jane Austen in Baghdad! that is on my TBR too..

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  12. I am not much of a short story reader but as I LOVE Aidichie I should give it a try. Above all I'm interested in the themes the stories deal with. Thanks for reviewing this.

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  13. To all my fellow book lovers, there was a show on The Book Report where they discussed and interviewed young authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was mentioned, go to http://www.bookreportradio.com/archives.html to have a listen. or go to http://www.bookreportradio.com/schedule.html to see upcoming show times and stations in your area.

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