My favorite character was Evelyn, Richard’s girlfriend who seemed to be in charge of her life and knew what she wanted and needed as a woman. In fact, some of her decisions annoyed me at times but that’s understandable for a character like hers whose initial aim was to please others and do as she was told. Inasmuch as I liked the character Afi, and how much she grew from being this young, timid village girl who came to the city with just one quest in mind to this fierce, knowledgeable woman with choices, she was not my favorite character. The novel is brilliantly feminist and relatable, set in contemporary Ghana, the issue of marriage and family are two major things every Ghanaian woman will face or has faced once in her lifetime. So basically, that is what the novel entails. But it is Accra that eventually wins Afi’s heart and gives her a life of independence that she never could have imagined for herself (Goodreads). It turns out that he is in love with another woman, whom his family disapproves of Afi is supposed to win him back on their behalf. He sends a stand-in to his own wedding, and only weeks after Afi is married and installed in a plush apartment in the capital city of Accra does she meet her new husband. She acquiesces, but soon realizes that Elikem is not quite the catch he seemed. Then one day she is offered a life-changing opportunity-a proposal of marriage from the wealthy family of Elikem Ganyo, a man she doesn’t truly know.
She lives in a small town in Ghana with her widowed mother, spending much of her time in her uncle Pious’s house with his many wives and children. Okay, in order to not get carried away, let me first give you a brief synopsis of what His Only Wife is all about.Īfi Tekple is a young seamstress whose life is narrowing rapidly. The other thing was the Ewe-ness of the whole story (I was like yesss, my people!).
This glorious first line, together with the book’s beautiful cover is what got me hooked onto this powerfully written debut novel by Peace Adzo Medie. “Elikem married me in absentia he did not come to our wedding.”
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