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A review by _askthebookbug
Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
5.0
• r e v i e w •
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"Ours was an ancient story, the woman wants the baby and the man doens't want the baby and a middle ground does not exist. What would a middle ground be? We couldn't have half a baby." - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
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Adichie proves once again that she can do nothing wrong when it comes to writing. She says the right things even if it's visceral and perhaps this is why people trust her books. For her honesty. While we often go about our lives without paying much attention to the things happening around us, Adichie highlights these instances and makes us sit down and ponder over it. In Zikora too, she does the same. In a short story that can be finished in just half an hour, she manages to pass on a whirlwind of emotions to the readers. Zikora explores women's roles as daughters, mothers, wives and partners. Zikora is sheer perfection.
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The very first chapter opens with Zikora in labour, a million thoughts rushing to her head. There's this searing pain not only from her contractions but also because of the absence of her partner. Zikora's mother with whom she never shared a close bond is by her side while her father is away with his other wife. African culture allows a man to be married multiple times without having to divorce his existing wives. Zikora's mother too becomes the first wife and with that, retreats into a shell. As Zikora contemplates her own romantic relationship which was once perfect but ended up in pieces because of her unexpected pregnancy, she begins to see her mother in a different light. Women, as she knows now have countless trials to go through and she is no exception.
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She dips into various difficult topics ranging from single motherhood, abortion, insecurities, fear and of child rearing too. I desperately wished for the story to never end. In spite of being just a few pages in length, Zikora stays in your mind for a much longer time. There's no doubt that Adichie is a master storyteller and she definitely likes to remind the audience of this fact time and again. I highly recommend this.
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Rating : 5/5.
.
"Ours was an ancient story, the woman wants the baby and the man doens't want the baby and a middle ground does not exist. What would a middle ground be? We couldn't have half a baby." - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
.
Adichie proves once again that she can do nothing wrong when it comes to writing. She says the right things even if it's visceral and perhaps this is why people trust her books. For her honesty. While we often go about our lives without paying much attention to the things happening around us, Adichie highlights these instances and makes us sit down and ponder over it. In Zikora too, she does the same. In a short story that can be finished in just half an hour, she manages to pass on a whirlwind of emotions to the readers. Zikora explores women's roles as daughters, mothers, wives and partners. Zikora is sheer perfection.
.
The very first chapter opens with Zikora in labour, a million thoughts rushing to her head. There's this searing pain not only from her contractions but also because of the absence of her partner. Zikora's mother with whom she never shared a close bond is by her side while her father is away with his other wife. African culture allows a man to be married multiple times without having to divorce his existing wives. Zikora's mother too becomes the first wife and with that, retreats into a shell. As Zikora contemplates her own romantic relationship which was once perfect but ended up in pieces because of her unexpected pregnancy, she begins to see her mother in a different light. Women, as she knows now have countless trials to go through and she is no exception.
.
She dips into various difficult topics ranging from single motherhood, abortion, insecurities, fear and of child rearing too. I desperately wished for the story to never end. In spite of being just a few pages in length, Zikora stays in your mind for a much longer time. There's no doubt that Adichie is a master storyteller and she definitely likes to remind the audience of this fact time and again. I highly recommend this.
.
Rating : 5/5.