Thoughts on Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells the story of the Biafran War that ravaged Nigeria between 1967 and 1970. The story is told through the lens of five remarkable characters: Olanna, her lover Odenigbo, his houseboy Ugwu, her twin sister Kainene and her lover, Richard. Olanna and Kainene come from a privileged Igbo family.  Odenigbo is a university professor whom Kainene refers to as “the revolutionary.” Richard is a white Englishman who identifies as a Biafran. They each represent the elite. Ugwu, on the other hand comes from a rural village.

What I love about the book is the depth of the characters.  Chimamanda crafts memorable and human characters that make the reader love, feel contempt for and empathize with them all at the same time.  Each of the protagonists is flawed, almost tragically so.  They commit seemingly unforgivable acts, but you never want to write them off. Chimamanda never judges her characters.  They are living in the midst of war; you understand them. War is ugly. It can bring out the worst in people.

I also enjoyed the relationship between the twins, Olanna and Kainene.  Their relationship runs that gamut of emotions.  It starts out tense because they aren’t as close as they once were.   And then it becomes estranged and they don’t speak at all.  But eventually the sisters manage to mend fences and regain their relationship.  As Kainene states: “There are some things that are so unforgivable that they make other things easily forgivable” (435).  

Chimamanda effectively incorporates the Igbo language into the text.  In doing so, she paints a vivid picture of the land during a time of war (a war that ended before her birth).  Chimamanda juxtaposes the sights and sounds before the war with the rigid and bleak conditions during the war.  I felt the pain and suffering of the Biafrans.  Chimamanda presents a history lesson wrapped in a complex and beautiful story.  From reading the book, I learned that the title of Half of a Yellow Sun refers to the Biafran flag that bore the image of the rising sun in the center.

I really love this book.  Because of the upcoming film adaptation it has been on my radar for a while.  I am so glad that I finally took the time to read it. I wholeheartedly recommend that others read it too.  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  is a rising literary star and I look forward to reading her other novels. You can learn more about the novel at it’s official Half of the Yellow Sun website.  You should also check out  Chimamanda on her website and facebook page.