After Anna’s mother dies, she decides to find out more about her African father who she had never met. The search takes her to Africa where she finds out that her father is now President of a small country in western Africa.
There is a mythical bird we have here, Anna. We call it the sankofa. It flies forward with its head facing back. its a poetic image but it cannot work in real life.
The author keeps the story moving without any predictability, keeping the reader interested to the end, but I agree with a point made by Kirkus that “Some plot twists veer toward the melodramatic … and seem designed to explain stereotypes about African culture to Western readers.”
Quotes:
”I remembered why I was always suspicious of people with causes.Their self-righteousness could justify almost any behaviour.
”The rest of the world was violent and unsafe, while our corner was an oasis of calm.”
Author: Chibundu Onuzo
BOOK SNAPS - for readers 