The Thing Around Your Neck - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In light of recent tragic events, this book is particularly pertinent. It is no secret that Adichie is perhaps my favourite author, and this was the final of her works that I had yet to read. Her novels Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah and Purple Hibiscus are must-reads in my opinion, and her manifesto We Should All Be Feminists was a moving and empowering text which I urge people to engage with. For further recommendations, my blog has posts about each of Adichie's books, as well as many other diverse authors and translated works. 

The Thing Around Your Neck is a collection of twelve short stories, each of which really grab you and pull you in, in a way which the author has an amazing power to do. I have often felt that short stories lack the ability to really offer enough that you can become attached to their characters and themes; not surprisingly, Adichie succeeded in doing just that in not one but all of these vignettes. She confronts uncomfortable topics with rich prose and moving narratives, and forces you to question your own behaviours and privilege through her characters, all of whom are authentic and raw. Her stories are empowering and her own pride shines through, and the poignancy of this is not diminished in her short stories in opposition with her novels.

The title story explores Adichie's feelings about Nigerians living in the United States through the stark loneliness of a girl who discovers that America is nothing like what she expected. This is a common theme throughout the vignettes, and all of the stories examine difficult themes such as police brutality, religious tension and the unemployability of Africans in the US. My favourites of the stories were 'The Thing Around Your Neck', 'Shivering' and 'Imitation', though throughout the entire collection, Adichie offered a new perspective and a new challenge in the themes raised. I think it is so important to reflect upon issues such as those raised in books like this in a head-on way, and not shy away from moments which may seem recognisable or encourage you to view things in a new light.