Half of a yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie



Set in the 1960s Nigeria, rife with communal discord, Half of a yellow sun traces the lives of 5 people intricately intertwined through love, hate and indifference . Lives that were distanced through prosperity and brought together by the war.
Olanna, the beautiful daughter of a highly influential army contractor, who leaves behind a life of privilege for the man she loves, Odenigbo, a revolutionary professor at the Nsukka University. Kainene, Olanna's twin sister, who is as indifferent as bitter. Richard, A shy Englishman in love with Igbo-ukwu art and Kainene. Ugwu, Odenigbo's uneducated houseboy, for whom the war is a coming-of-age experience.
From the high society of Lagos to the quiet intellect of Nsukka, from the ghettos of Ummunachi to the refugee camps of Orlu, Half of a yellow sun takes you on a shocking journey through the birth of a nation, its fall into a civil war and ultimately peace, which comes at a price. The book explores the myriad human emotions, from love to loss, delight to denial and disbelief to detachment. It takes you through the streets of a war-torn country and its civilians, as they cast aside their personal dignity and belief in a struggle for the survival of their loved ones. It talks about how we draw upon our inner strengths when the eye fails to see what the mind does not fail to register.
The story has a couple of remarkably strong scenes, like the one where the sisters meet during the war and each marvels at how the other has grown, which speak volumes about Chimamanda's ability to take the reader on a journey, just like the rest of the characters.  
With a remarkable blend of strong metaphors, vividly expressive adjectives and Igbo influenced english that contributes to the rich narrative, Chimamanda weaves a stunning tale of love, life and war.

A must read! 

What is your "favouritest" childhood memory?

Childhood is that lovely time when everything is new and magical. Traditions are not boring and happiness lies in the simplest of things. It was on one such nostalgia-hit evening that I started reminiscing my "favouritest" childhood memories. So here goes...

1. Playing "Business" (a variant of the board game 'Monopoly') with cousins. We bent the rules (even then!) and played for hours. We even had an audience. And it always ended with the bank going bankrupt and we being insanely rich (we framed the rule ourselves, remember?)

2. Spending summer vacations at grandparents place. It was huge house in a sleepy little village. The yummy jamoons that grandma would invariably make! Eating mangoes in the evening, slinking away unobserved to the village pond! Bliss!!!

3. Summer evenings spent watering the terrace (Yes, watering the terrace!), so that it is to cool when we sleep under the open sky at night!

4. Watching movies in the 'tent' (a makeshift cinema hall) at our grandparents village. Sometimes even sleeping through it.

5. The last day of the exams! The tradition of watching a movie (in the cinema hall) after the last exam. I dont remember the movie, but I remember the joy of eating popcorn at the movies and an ice-cream after it!

6. The extra allowance of 2 rupees a day that was given on exam days. Spending it on a small packet of "Yummies", even while a holier-than-thou classmate ranted about the ill-effects of eating packed/processed chips daily!

7. Looking forward to Chitrahaar at 8PM in Wednesdays and Rangoli at 7AM on Sundays. They were truly our only window to bollywood music.

8. Rasna heralded the summer holidays by launching new flavours (cola and nimbu pani). It was a rage and making the concentrate was a tradition. It involved dissolving some 300grams of sugar in 750 ml water, before adding the powder and concentrate! The sugar was added to the water early in the morning left on the dining table. We all took turns stirring it and it was only by noon that the sugar had dissolved and Rasna was finally ready :)
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and so many more... :)

What is your "favouritest" childhood memory?