The Lazy Review: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"With effortless grace, celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illuminates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra's impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this tumultuous decade alongside five unforgettable characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for Odenigbo, a university professor full of revolutionary zeal; Olanna, the professor’s beautiful young mistress who has abandoned her life in Lagos for a dusty town and her lover’s charm; and Richard, a shy young Englishman infatuated with Olanna’s willful twin sister Kainene. Half of a Yellow Sun is a tremendously evocative novel of the promise, hope, and disappointment of the Biafran war."

Adichie continues to amaze me with her writing. I loved Purple Hibiscus, but Half of a Yellow Sun far surpasses that, especially her ability to write from three very different points of view, without throwing the story off balance. The three characters' tales segue almost seamlessly into this gorgeous novel. I forgot all about reading my other books and kept my nose firmly in this book until it was finished. It was moving and completely compelling, even though I was at first hesitant about reading a book about this war which I knew nothing about.

Read it!