Come and chat to Orange Prize winner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about her new novel, AMERICANAH, on Tues 29 April, 9-10pm

[TillyBookClub]

April’s choice is a powerhouse of a book that informs and entertains in equal measure. AMERICANAH is the third novel from Orange-Prize winner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who tackles the enormous subject of race with such vitality, intelligence and general chutzpah that you speed through the pages enchanted. AMERICANAH is first and foremost an epic love story spanning three continents: Nigerian teenagers Ifemelu and Obinze grow up together and fall in love, but are drawn apart when Ifemelu moves to study in the US and Obinze tries his luck in the UK, before returning to be a wealthy Lagos businessman.

Alternating between Ifemelu’s struggles with American ideas of race, and Obinze’s foray into being an illegal immigrant, the novel covers the next thirteen years before they finally meet again (in a 21st century, globalized, democratic Nigeria), and find out if they can regain what was lost. Along the way are many relationships, jobs, mistakes and triumphs, misunderstandings and epiphanies. And hairstyles: as Ifemelu experiments with straightened/Afro/cornrowed hair, her story moves through an identity crisis, into an activist phase and finally an acceptance of her roots, all of which is told with humour and acutely observant detail.

This is a book to make you think deeply, to see a subject in the round in all it's complexity and paradox, to hear things spoken out loud that are so often fudged over. Adichie’s ideas are fresh and bold, her writing always personal and perceptive: she is equally marvellous covering Nigerian politics as she is writing day-to-day dialogue. This is a very funny, very warm, rollicking, authentic, absolutely astonishing book. Don’t miss it – it might easily be your best book of the year.

Chimamanda's TED talk, ‘The Danger of the Single Story’ has been viewed 6.5 million times. You can view it here.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Nigeria in 1977. Her first novel 'Purple Hibiscus' was published in 2003 and was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Her second novel 'Half of a Yellow Sun' won the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction. Her work has been selected by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and the BBC Short Story Awards, and in 2010 she appeared on the New Yorker's list of the best 20 writers under 40.

Fourth Estate have 50 free copies to give to Mumsnetters – to claim yours please fill in your details here. We’ll post on the thread when all the copies have gone. If you’re not lucky enough to bag one of the free books, you can always get your paperback or Kindle version here.

We are delighted that Chimamanda will be joining us to discuss Americanah, her writing life and all her previous books on Tuesday 29 April, 9-10pm. So please feel free to discuss the book here throughout the month, pop up any advance questions and we will see you all here, Tue 29 April.

@MaxineQuordlepleen

Hi Chimamanda, I first came across your work with your TED talk. I use it a lot when teaching about prejudice, preconceptions and discrimination of all kinds. It speaks so simply but powerfully- it never fails to impress and inspire my students, some of whom are living with hugely difficult challenges and some of whom have quite a lot of power to impose their versions of stories on others. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you very much from us all!

Thank you. That means a lot to me. When I gave that talk I had no idea it would resonate with so many people. I just wanted to talk about what I genuinely cared about. And it makes me (foolishly) sentimental sometimes, when I hear of the different people from different parts of the world for whom it has been meaningful. I feel warm and think of our 'one human family.' Until something in the news snaps me out of my sentimentality.
(How do the emoticons work? A dragon seemed appropriate here)

I loved your TED talk on 'the danger of the single story' - so inspiring and I referenced it in one of my university essays recently. Was there any one incident or critical moment which inspired you to find your voice as a writer, and start telling your stories? Or have you always written?

Do you have a writing routine, and have you got a special place /room where you work, that inspires you ?

Oh, I thought it could be a good thing, mainly because I like the idea of re-claiming stuff, and that the visual thing could work well making the most of the internet, Facebook etc.
Perhaps I look down a bit on football supporters but I thought a simple idea for simple people could have it's place

@highlandcoo

Hi Chimamanda

It's great that you're here to have a conversation with us.

Do you often have the opportunity to meet your readers at book festivals and so on .. if so facing a room full of people must be very different from the (I imagine) solitary life of a writer. Do you enjoy the experience?

I've just read the first few chapters of Americanah and am completely engrossed. Thank you.

I enjoy meeting my readers. I'm very interested in people and their stories. But I find that, during a book tour, the first few events are enjoyable and meaningful, and then I start to find them tedious because I start to feel a little false, saying the same things over and over again.

Hi Chimamanda, I find Americanah to be so eloquently written and I love the characterisations. Ifemelu is a great character and Obinze is adorable. I have 100 pages left and don't want it to end!
Why is does Ifemelu feel nervous around Shan? She's been through so much and people have never made her feel like this before. Why is Shan so special?

Oh - not a question, but thank you for 'Purple Hibiscus'. It opened my mind to a different world. It is so evocative and beautiful.

@BonzoDooDah

Hello Chimamanda I am halfway through Americanah and loving reading it. Your descriptions are delicious - bringing all senses together to make the whole feeling of being there. For example the hot Summer's day by Ifemelu's new flat. I could feel the pulsing heat and slight rotting smell. Divinely encapsulated. Does it take you long to formulate these descriptions or do they pour out of you so well formed?

I really like the character of Ifemelu. She is such a strong person - standing up to the world and taking on new experiences but not angelic - flawed too. The patriarchal Nigerian society you describe somewhat doesn't seem to bring forth the best from women. But it obviously worked for you. Did you grow up with strong women role models?

I wish they just poured out easily. And I'm so glad you liked Ifemelu. She isn't popular with some women readers, and to be fair, I understand why. But I wish there were more female characters like her, and more women allowed to be like that in general -- without being judged for it. There's a kind of perfection expectation on women and I find myself kicking against it. I grew up among strong, complex women. And also among women who were not strong and who let themselves be what they imagined the world wanted them to be, rather than what they authentically were. I hope this makes sense.

@DottyDee

Hi Chimamanda, I find Americanah to be so eloquently written and I love the characterisations. Ifemelu is a great character and Obinze is adorable. I have 100 pages left and don't want it to end! Why is does Ifemelu feel nervous around Shan? She's been through so much and people have never made her feel like this before. Why is Shan so special?

Good question. And I wish I had the answer. The truth is: I don't know. Life is odd, isn't it? Sometimes a strong person who seems to have it all together can fall apart in the face of something unlikely.

HI. Thanks so much for the book-I have previously read your other books so this was a real treat.
My question is-were you worried about seeing your work 'Half of a Yellow Sun' made into a film? dii you find it hard to 'let go' of the characters that were in your head?

@vanbandi

Thank you for my free copy. I have started and I enjoy it. I am an immigrant as well however from Europe I can recognize Ifemelu's feelings. Yesterday I gave up my seat to an elderly lady on the tube and she said: 'oh thank you my love I am reading the same book :)'

This is so lovely. (Imagine Inserted Smiling Face Because I Don't Know How.) I think there are immigrant experiences that are specific and some that cut across all groups. Most of all I think the emotional sense of dislocation is the same for everyone who leaves home or who isn't sure what home is anymore.

And also among women who were not strong and who let themselves be what they imagined the world wanted them to be, rather than what they authentically were. I hope this makes sense.

Perfectly. Anuty Uju meeting and courting that vile man. I've seen friends transformed exactly as you say when they meet men and take on a role. I can't bear it, I couldn't bear reading about Aunty Uju - I feel her soul draining away.

I love your books so thank you for the pleasure you bring through them.

Do you I think anyone can write if they have a desire? If so, even if that desire only comes to you in mid life?

Hi Chimamanda, my daughter is studying Purple Hibiscus for her GCSE next week. She would like to know what the characters think the future holds for Nigeria at the very end of the novel. She has really enjoyed reading it and getting to know the characters so well, having studied it for over a year.

Thank you for your understanding - I felt deeply embarrassed that I'd derailed a serious literary discussion!

@solosolong

I haven't read Americanah but loved the previous two novels. I would be interested to know what Chimamanda thinks about the current situation in Nigeria. Does she think that there is any hope of the religious tensions easing; is this something which affects her life there? Thanks

I'm in Lagos, and for many of us here, the violence seems remote because it's in the north and we imagine it won't get to the south. Which doesn't necessarily make sense of course. But every one in Nigeria is emotionally affected by Boko Haram. Still, I am generally hopeful about the future. People of different religions can live together if we stop politicizing religion.

@snice

HI. Thanks so much for the book-I have previously read your other books so this was a real treat. My question is-were you worried about seeing your work 'Half of a Yellow Sun' made into a film? dii you find it hard to 'let go' of the characters that were in your head?

No. But I stayed away from the process of the film making because I just thought it was the more sensible thing to do. It's like knowing your baby has to be cut up, but not wanting to be there, and feeling mostly okay because you have faith in the person who is doing the cutting-up. It's a beautiful film that I am very pleased with and proud of.

Don't worry, this isn't a question she has to answer for an exam!! She is interested in the characters as she feels she knows them so well.

@Suedonim

Chimamanda, I haven't had a chance to read Americanah yet, although it waiting for me to pick it up when I have the time. I loved your previous two novels, both of which I read while I was living in Nigeria for five years. It's an endlessly fascinating country that turns one's assumptions on their heads sometimes!

How hopeful are you that Nigeria's current troubles can be overcome, tapping into its immense wealth and the potential of its population to improve life for all citizens? How much time do you spend in Nigeria now and do you find it a culture shock going between two such different countries?

If I may ask another question, which other contemporary Nigerian authors do you admire?

Many thanks for reading this.

I admire Eghosa Imasuen, Lola Shoneyin, Chika Unigwe.
I'm in Lagos right now and spend more time here these days. Not a culture shock at all. The two worlds are different but again not that different and I am slightly different versions of myself in both places. As a friend told me once, I'm 'louder' in Nigeria. :-)

Hi. Hope I'm not too late! I've just finished the book and am sad to say goodbye to Ifemelu. I would like to read more about Nigeria. I've read Purple Hibiscus and Half if a Yellow Sun. Can you recommend any other modern day Nigerian writers?

@lucja

Hello! Two questions from me - Were Ifemelu and Obinze always destined to be together as you wrote?

I am a huge admirer of your work and have always enjoyed your books. This one took a more truthful tone and I found the honesty of the book hugely appealing. Is it a book you've always wanted to write and felt the need to be established as an author to write it?

My village book club are reading this book this month and next Wednesday we'll all be at my house drinking wine and discussing it - fancy a web chat with us then?? ;)

Great question about feeling the need to be established. I think that's probably true to an extent. But, before I was 'established,' I don't think I even had the book in me. It's a book that came from observing the world from a particular point of view, and that POV I think was informed by my experience as an 'estabilshed' writer.

@dragonfly63

Congratulations that Americanah has been short listed for the Baileys Prize andwon the US National Book Critics Award, it is well deserved.

I used to live in Birmingham which is multi-racial, the school that my son attended had children from 56 different countries. Despite being heavily involved with that school and with the parents your book has taught me so much about what people who are different have to face. Have you sufferedfrom racism and if so how did you overcome it (apart from writing this wonderful book of course)?

There's a lot of silence around subjects of this sort, because people feel uncomfortable and uncertain. I think ignorance, without arrogance, can be a good thing. I think more conversations should be had so people can just get to see the world through the eyes of others, and better understand others. I wanted to write a book that was frank about things that we think but don't say outside our comfort zones.

I struggle with spelling 'diarrhea' too and 'pediatrician'. It doesn't help that my husband is American and is always bringing back medicines from the US, so our medicine drawer is full of packets with American spellings on them, which compounds my confusion!

Re: Ifemulu's imperfection - I thought she was all the more believable for her flaws. She suffers with depression. She is snarky at times. She cheats on her boyfriend. She goes to the yucky tennis coach's house to have sex with him, knowing that that is what she is going to have to do. She feels revulsion and self-hatred afterwards - this makes her human. I'm not saying I'd have made the same choices, just that her flaws make her seem real. I like reading about women who seem real and she did - warts and all.

Fascinated by differing posts about Ifemelu. I wanted to be more like her, I liked her exploration and her inquisitive mind, and I admired her sense of self assuredness, I felt she had this self assuredness even when she was at sea with her feelings or her bewilderment at a new culture. I found her far more human than many other characters I've been reading recently. Perhaps even more so because I felt like this was an ambitious novel of ideas, and yet the people in it weren't ciphers at all.

I won't post any q's as we only have 15 mins and a lot of posts but am hugely enjoying everyone's comments.

Thanks. I also wondered if you've ever 'blogged' as I found this aspect of Ifem's story such a glorious way to get to know her better.
Art is a lie that makes us realise a truth! :)