Americanah, A novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Ifemelu (Ifem) is from Nigeria.  She moves to the US, goes to school, gets a job, starts a blog and then moves back to Nigeria.  Blaine is her last lover in the US and she breaks up with him just before moving back.

Obinze is her first love (in Nigeria) and you would think they would be together forever, but then she moves to America and she does not return his calls, letter or messages. 

They have their own experiences - Ifemelu in America where she prospers and Obinze in London, where he does not.  He ends up being deported back to Nigeria and then becomes wealthy in Real Estate.  Ifem returns to Nigeria on her own free will.  They both encounter racism in their respective lives. While in America, Ifem starts a blog that addresses that concern and its about the differences between Black Americans and Black non-Americans.  It is a big hit and she does manage to gain sponsors until she shuts the blog down when she decides to return to Nigeria.

When Ifemu returns to Lagos, she gets herself a job and establishes herself before contacting Obinze.  They have a love affair.  Things got messy as they usually do when one of the two are married. 

I thought the authors’ writing was clear and concise.  She touched on points that affect people’s lives today and globally – race and relationships. 

We Live In Water by Jess Walter

This is a book of short stories. 

The funniest story was “Virgo” about a newspaper editor who changed the original wording of the daily horoscopes to be the opposite of what was supposed to be published so that his ex-girlfriend would be upset. It was funny until he realized his father, who went into a hypoglycemic coma, shared the same horoscope.  Oopsie. 

All of the stories had some appeal – even the one that was only two pages.

It is a coincidence that I read another book by the same author – “Beautiful Ruins”.  I liked that book better than this one.

I must say that I am not getting a good impression of the state of Washington from these stories.

Don’t Eat Cat – bizzaro story about zombies.

I keep waiting to see if any of the characters re-occur.  Names do.

My commentary here is in the same format as this short story book.  

Small Island by Andrea Levy

Hortense, Queenie and Gilbert.  Set in 1948, in Jamaica, West Indies and London, Hortense, Queenie and Gilbert are about to meet in different ways.

Gilbert Joseph moves to London after returning from the war.  He thinks life will be grand.  He has to take jobs where he is called boy and discriminated against.  He does all this to make a way to bring his wife from Jamaica, West Indies.  Hortense Joseph moves to London to be with her husband.  She thinks she will find the perfect teaching job. 

They both meet Queenie, their landlord, and have very different opinions of her.  Queenie and her husband Bernard have their own marital issues.  And then there is Michael.

You will have to read it to know what else happens.  BTW, there is a movie version, but once again, I SO enjoyed the book.