His Only Wife- Book Review
Peace Adzo Medie is a Liberian-born Ghanaian academic and writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Her debut novel; His Only Wife, was published in 2020. The story is set in Ghana and it features Afi, the protagonist, who finds herself in an arranged marriage that turns her life sour. Does she leave or learn to live with it?
The reader is immersed in Afi’s struggle to find herself and build her career against heap loads of expectations placed on her by her mother, extended family, husband, and in-laws. She gets married in a rather strange ceremony and has to navigate not only being newly married with no husband in sight but also living in a completely new environment. The reality of her marriage replaces her hopes with disconcerting feelings and pushes her to attempt defiance.
The plot is enriched by interesting dialogue and highlights weighty thematic areas including; parental interference, polygamy, classism, and gender roles. Afi’s voice is compelling, entertaining, and relatable with a desperate undertone based on her desires marred by deception. The other characters layer the narrative with distinct ideals and motivations while the geographical and cultural references ground the universally appealing story, paying homage to Ghana and giving the book a sense of authenticity.
I enjoyed reading His Only Wife and I recommend it.
