Afi enjoyed working and studying with Sarah. Sarah was a professional and studied in London. Afi was impressed with her designs. She was there from 8am to 5pm, with an hour for a lunch break. She often bought breakfast and lunch nearby. One day, Efi was waiting to take her to lunch. Afi Gets a Chance with Eli Now, for my less profane thoughts: His Only Wife is an enthralling story about two Ghanian families, one love triangle, and the people and places caught in between them.

Afi lives in Ho with her mom, and life has been really hard for them ever since Afi’s dad died. When she is presented with a proposal, her mom makes sure that Afi doesn’t mess this up. Afi is a bit hesitant, but she recognizes that this could potentially change their lives forever. However, Elikem, the man she is marrying, is with another woman whom the family doesn’t approve of. The family believes that Afi can essentially “change” his mind into leaving the other woman. Will Afi succeed in getting Elikem to commit to her alone? My first book by Peace Adzo Medie but not the last. I bought this when it was on sale and am only just now getting around to reading it. Set in Ghana, this book is kind of a subtle take-down of patriarchal values through the medium of a domestic drama. Our heroine, Afi, is a poor girl with a widowed mother who relies on her selfish uncle for goodwill until she is married to a rich guy who doesn't even bother to show up to the wedding. As we see from the very first addictive sentence in the book, he marries her in absentia. When she does meet Eli she immediately (albeit rather inexplicably for the reader) falls in love with him – but this has the effect of making her unwilling to go along with the pretense of being second choice. And this puts her in conflict with: Eli (who insists he will resolve the situation, just not yet); the Ganyo’s (who sympathise with her situation and want the same end as her – but want her to follow their timing); her mother (who feels this is her one chance both to repay her benefactress Aunty plus to gain her own independence from Uncle Pious and build her own house) and Uncle Pious (who cannot understand why Afi, as part of her family obligations, is not sending him copious gifts and agreeing to house and pay school fees for various cousins). It is quite common for certain cultures to have this tension between women since the men are presented as this golden prize. Usually can't stand other women being blamed for men not having their shit together, so first trigger. I think the problem is that I wish everyone believed that women were also human beings and not just wives or breeding machines.

Phewww okay this ending had me fuming! I mean granted, the Ganyo family drove me crazy throughout this whole book, BUT THE ENDING?? I would’ve allowed Afi to be acquitted from murder, but I guess it was happy for her nonetheless.

If this sounds too good to be true, you’re not far off the mark. Afi does get a swish apartment in the capital city of Accra, complete with servants and more money than she’s ever had before. Upset with how her driver was treating her since she’d left her husband and returned to Ho, Afi decided to go to driving school. Even when Efi forbade her from doing it, using her pregnancy as an excuse, she continued and got her driver’s license. After some time, she got a new driver as well.This post is for those who’ve been finding it difficult to read as of late; I’m not entirely sure what’s in the air, but whatever is floating around isn’t conducive to getting through a book.

From scholar and advocate Peace Adzo Medie comes HIS ONLY WIFE, a vibrant and inspiring debut novel about a young bride married first and foremost to her independence, and second to an absent man. Bottom line: I could say something about the clear and straightforward writing style, or how this somehow felt both too long and too short, or probably a bunch of other stuff, but what it comes down to is I'm nosy.

Book Summary

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie is a book centered around a Ghanian woman and her community. This book is a work of fiction and will interest you from the first line. The story is unique and will make you fall in love with the writing.