Book Review: The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

After the underwhelming experience of reading Mindy Kaling’s book, I picked up The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to lift my spirits. As I have read and enjoyed the other books (Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah) written by the author, I was positive that I would enjoy reading this collection of short stories as well.

And, I did!

Made up of 12 short stories, it showcases excellent storytelling. The book proves that Adiche is a great writer and storyteller in all forms, be it full-length novels, short stories or public speeches.

Even though I had read the first story ‘Cell One’ in The New Yorker, it was still a satisfying experience. Few of the other stories have also been published in other publications.

The common thread running through all the stories is that it talks about some form of suffocation, frustration and longing. In ‘The Arrangers of Marriage’, we read about a newly married woman’s frustration of losing her roots, her identity and her inability to leave her husband. Imitation narrates the isolation that a woman faces while living in America without her husband. Tomorrow Is Too Far brings the stifling emotions of holding on to a devastating secret on the surface. The American Embassy describes the agony of forced migrants.

My favourite stories were The Headstrong Historian, The Arrangers of Marriage, The Thing Around Your Neck and Imitation.

What’s great about Adichie's short stories is that they are complete chapters on their own. By complete I don’t mean a definite start and finish or a happy ending. I mean the thoughts expressed are not vague. They are not pretentious short stories with ambiguous endings, left incomplete in the name of edgy, modern and interesting style of writing.

Speaking about Adichie, her work has helped me to erase stereotypes about the African continent. While the characters in her books are primarily Nigerian since she belongs to that country, no one can deny the fact that she has become the voice of Africa. Her TED Talk on ‘The danger of a single story’ was so amazing and insightful!

My interest in reading the work of other African authors has piqued after reading Adichie’s books. I’m sure it’s the same for many readers across the world. 

Highly recommended!

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Title: The Thing Around Your Neck

Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Publication: 2009

Language : English

Pages : 218

Rating : 4/5