I'm just coming to the end of "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and have been completely enthralled by the mesmerising and tragic story which is set against the backdrop of the decaying political environment in the newly independent Nigeria.
I vaguely knew something about the Biafran war but Adichie's shockingly brutal evocation leaves you in no doubt that ethnic cleansing as well as revenge was at the heart of this tragic conflict. She intertwines the lives of her main characters into Nigeria's emerging decay and provides a historical perspective which effectively challenges the reader to reflect on the root causes of the conflict, i.e. corrupt British rule that blatently contrived to pit different groups of people against one another in a cynical, deplorable move to ensure the failure of the new independent state.
Another book that I have just ordered from Amazon is The Fates by Tino Georgiou which has also received excellent reviews.
Anybody else reading these books?