Colloquial diction and modern amenities help to set the book’s stage, though its descriptions of settings sometimes fall short of their potential. Characters are introduced with speed, and even the story’s main influencers make minor impressions at first. Still, the pieces of the story connect in a seamless way. She is Senior Lecturer in gender and international politics at the University of Bristol. Her research examines gender, politics, and conflict in Africa. Her book, Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence against Women in Africa, was published in March 2020 by Oxford University Press . Her debut novel, His Only Wife, was published in September 2020 by Algonquin Books.

Afi does not have much. Her father is dead, her mother struggles to support her, her large extended family neglects her, and she is not gifted enough at schoolwork to get into a university. What she does have is her good looks, a good upbringing, and a talent for sewing and design. She is married to the son of her mother's wealthy benefactor, a marriage in absentia, but the marriage is just another move in the ongoing battle between Eli and his family. Eli loves a woman his family will not accept, and the marriage is their power move to get him to leave the other woman once and for all. I will say some of the promotion tried to compare it to Crazy Rich Asians and there are some similarities (mainly with wealth and a difficult spouse’s mother) but His Only Wife very much stands on its own. I also thought it’s more serious than Crazy Rich Asians. The synopsis A few days before the trip, Eli said he was going to Nigeria on business. Evelyn had an ad agency and was planning the second school for Afi’s business at a beach house. The shoot was supposed to happen after the trip, but Evelyn moved up the timeline to make use of a space that she said was available due to a shoot being canceled at the last minute. Shaking Everything Up Plot-wise to me, there were a few holes and I had questions but not enough that I couldn’t understand what was happening or go with the flow. I just I suppose didn’t get the direction of the book and don’t really understand what it wanted to accomplish. When we were introduced to Yaya’s friends, I expected more to come from that nugget to create dramatic effect. The building of tension between Afi’s family and the Ganyos was fabulous, I only wish more had been done with that potential plot angle. The author was great at creating potential opportunities for tension but she often just releases them without exploring further or stoking the flames so there were lots of moments were my expectations for more drama were built and then allowed to fall flat. The resolution and the conflicts felt a little too easily achieved when a book such as this was BEGGING for more dramatic effect. Afi moves into one of Eli’s many places and is now experiencing a life of luxury. But her focus is still on making Eli happy. What did you think about their first in-person interaction as husband and wife?

Book Summary

Peace Adzo Medie writes a timely novel about the strength and sacrifices of women for their family, to gain acceptance of the cultural and social norms, as well as, the cost of life choices. I was never bored while reading this, but as soon as I finished I wondered how I was not constantly bored. When Eli begins to appear more frequently, the two fall into a storybook romance, though his mysterious mistress remains in the picture. Eli is still a guest in her condo when Afi discovers she is pregnant. As Afi’s bravery grows, she defies what’s expected of her and demands to be taken seriously. Afi is married into the Ganyo family for two reasons: 1: Aunty G has been 'generous' (quotes because she did everything quid pro quo—the other party just wouldn’t know) with Afi and her mother a majority of her life since her father passed away and 2: the family wanted to get rid of Muna, Eli’s first wife. I'm giving this a three because the middle section of the story was a bit of a slog. I loved the set-up and the many faux-pas Afi committed in her rags-to-riches journey (such as the uncertainty a buffet of unfamiliar foods might bring and throwing her weight around with the help to assert authority) and I thought the ending was an interesting twist and subversion of the usual OW plot, but the middle section definitely lost steam a bit along the way and I did find myself skimming a bit. It's still a really interesting story and I loved the Ghanaian setting and domestic drama elements of it.

If only the rest of the book had been as fascinating as the setting. I feel guilty about saying that because Medie writes very well, in a flowing style that is easy to read, full of colour but mercifully light on adjectives and linguistic flourishes. I have a feeling if she keeps up this standard, she’ll enjoy a solid fan base in coming years. Eventually, Afi and Eli get closer— but mainly through a physical connection. Afi is convinced she’s in love with Eli but do you think Eli ever truly loved her? Afi Tekple is a young seamstress in Ghana. She is smart; she is pretty; and she has been convinced by her mother to marry a man she does not know. Afi knows who he is, of course --- Elikem is a wealthy businessman whose mother has chosen Afi in the hopes that she will distract him from his relationship with a woman his family claims is inappropriate. I have seen some reviewers talk about this book as feminist and it is, but not the way I think people will expect. This is not another story of empowerment, nor is it preaching or advocating. Instead it is a zig zag, an up and down, a maze of a story where Afi begins to understand what is important to her. The women in this book are all different, they have all adapted to a society where even the most privileged of them is subject to the whims of a son or husband or boyfriend. If anything, it is a glimpse of how all kinds of women have adjusted to this kind of world and how they make their way in it. It's a style of novel I like quite a lot, one that opens up a place and time to you, letting you see it in intricate detail.

More from The Author

At the center of the novel is young Afi Tekple. Not clever enough to earn a spot at the university like most of her classmates, Afi works as a seamstress in the small town where she has lived all her life. She and her widowed mother live in the home of her uncle along with his many wives and children. While her situation is far from dire, Afi is also well aware that her options in life are limited.