Review: His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: September 2020
 

"Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding." 

When a book starts like that, you have to keep going until the very end. How can the groom not show up for the wedding? I had never heard of anything like that before. In Ghana, Afi is ready to marry Eli. His family is not happy with him because he is with a woman they do not approve of and he has gotten her pregnant. Afi waits nearly two months before she even sees her husband for the first time. Their marriage is not what she expected and she puts her foot down about it. But, in Africa, that is not how wives are supposed to act. Will her actions make her husband draw closer to her or further away?

Thank to Algonquin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book hooked me from the opening line. How the hell are you not going to go to your own wedding and then wait months to see your wife? I know I could never agree to something like that. I would have felt as if I was left at the altar. Then he has a whole other woman that he and his family promises will be going away, but will she ever?

One thing I can say about Afi is that she didn't wait around for her husband every day. She went out and did something with her life. Even though she didn't have to work and she could have sat around the house all day watching soap operas, she chose to do more. She went to fashion school to improve her sewing skills. She had a house built for her mother and opened her own boutique. Even though she was pulled in different directions concerning her marriage, she still went her own way and did what she thought was best for her and her life.

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Advanced Praise for His Only Wife

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PRAISE:

“A delightful debut novel… Crazy Rich Asians for West Africa.”

—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

“A hilarious, page-turning, sharply realized portrait of modern womanhood in the most infuriating of circumstances.

A gem of a debut.”

—Wayetu Moore, author of She Would Be King

"A unique and unapologetic marriage story that shines with honesty, humanity, power and grace: once you pick this

book up, you won't be able to put it down. Medie's urgent, intimate voice is exactly what the world needs right now."

—Mathangi Subramanian, author of A People’s History of Heaven

“Its message bold and its viewpoint appealing, His Only Wife is an inspiring novel.”

—Foreword Reviews

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