Good evening everyone,
So yeah... I am one of those who will read a book because people are reading or talking about it. As soon as I notice a book or movie is getting a lot of hype and talk on Tiktok or Instagram, I would want to check it out for myself. So after seeing video after video of people ranting on and on about the book Adanna. With them talking about how it was the type of book that would traumatise anyone, I just had to see if all the talk was true. They even said things like, it was a raw, emotional and unforgettable read. Honestly, they were not lying.
The Plot
The book tells the story of Adanna, a young girl. She is only sixteen when her father dies and her family begins to struggle. In their desperation, they marry her off to Chief Arinze Nsofor, a wealthy older man. That was the beginning of her suffering.
Adanna faces abuse in almost every form you can think of. Chief Arinze beats her, controls her and takes away every bit of freedom she had. To make things even worse, she also suffers at the hand of the Chief's son. Adanna had dreams, big dreams of becoming a scientist and one day working with NASA but all of that disappears the moment she is forced into marriage.
She sacrifices her education, her youth, and her happiness, all for her family. As the years goes by, she just keeps enduring. Then one day Chief Arinze dies and the story took on a suspenseful turn. People wondered who killed him and of course, Adanna becomes one of the main suspects.
My Thoughts
This book really did surprise me. The emotions were so raw that sometimes I had to pause just to take a break from everything I have read. I felt Adanna's pain so deeply, and author did such a good job of making her struggle feel real. You can't actually read this book and walk away from it untouched.
I really liked was how Adesuwa didn't paint or sugarcoat anything. She told the reality of abuse, child marriage and the sacrifices young girls are often forced to make, the way it really is. Yes, there were some moments where Adanna's silence made me frustraed at her, but in the end, it's all part of the message. Strength is also about surviving each day, and that's exactly what she did. She hardly ever fought back and while some readers saw that as weakness, it's actually the sad reality of abuse.
I also liked the author's writing skill. She was able to maintain the suspence. The way Adesuwa redirected the focus of the book from Adanna's abuse to finding the person responsible for Chief Arinze's death?? It made me more engaged in the book than I already was. I could not just stop reading from there. I continued reading and flipping the pages because I wanted to see how it was going to end. But I won't lie, sometimes the book felt too heavy to me. There really wa not much break from reading about Adanna's suffering and all that, and I wished there were at least some lighter moments.
Overall, I also think the book deserves all the hype it gets. If I am to rate Adanna, I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. It is not just a book you read and just forget easily. Painful, yes but also powerful and definitely worthy of a read.
Image is a screenshot from my e-library