Americanah

My friends from Nigeria have regaled me with interesting tales of their lives growing up in that country. Those anecdotes and the fact that this was one of President Obama's favorite novels predisposed me to be a fan. I was, however, sadly disappointed. The early years of the two main characters, Ifemelu and Obinze, provided a well-rounded portrait of the life-styles of many people in Nigeria after the Biafran War. But once the young people began their diaspora, mainly to the U.S. and Britain, their stories turned into fairy tales. From cleaning toilets to being driven in BMW's, from trying to find her place in a U.S. university to hobnobbing with the literati and the glitterati, the characters became unsympathetic, amoral, and without appeal. The "grand romance" theme has always been a turn-off for me, drenched as it must be in cliches and unreality. So, the love affair that propels the two characters toward the grand finale turned this novel into a ho-hum in my estimation.