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A review by lady_wira
Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
5.0
Ijeoma finds herself between a rock and a hard place. Growing up life was normal until 1968 when civil war broke loose in her country -Nigeria.
The war tears families apart and hers is not spared. Her father succumbed to the war leaving behind a devastated wife and daughter. In an effort to save her daughter from the plague of hunger and war, Ijeoma’s mother sends her off to live with the grammar school teacher and his wife. She then sets off to her homeland in search of greener pastures for herself and eventually for Ijeoma.
Whatever the case, he had lost hope. Mama says that war has a way of changing people, that even a brave man occasionally loses hope, and sometimes all the pleading in the world cannot persuade him to begin hoping again.
The grammar school teacher and his wife took Ijeoma in, not like a daughter, but as cheap labour. She is almost 12 years old at the time, living in conditions no child should, enduring hours of hard labour and being rewarded with a meal or two. One day during her day-to-day duties she runs into Amina. Ijeoma takes Amina home with her and the grammar school teacher and the wife welcome the second ‘cheap labour’ in.
Their friendship blossoms, in each other Amina and Ijeoma, find a confidant, friend, sister, and lover. When the grammar school teacher catches them in the act, he has Ijeoma’s mother get her. At this point, two years have passed. The war is still raging and the country is in shambles.
Ijeoma’s mother upon reunion with her daughter falls on religion in an attempt to correct the evil that is Ijeoma. She plans for them to have bible study daily, only no questions are welcomed and so long as it is written, it is the only way. Ijeoma struggles to follow through with the ‘teachings’ but mom is relentless.
Excerpts:
In this moment, she felt more like another warden than my own mother, more like a husk _ more an emblem of motherhood than motherhood itself.
I could have argued even that late, but I acknowledged to myself that there was no sense in arguing anymore. All my arguments before this had gotten me nowhere.
The bible was beginning to feel almost negligible, as it was seeming to me more and more impossible to know exactly what God could really have meant.
She needed to know that there was more to the bible than her interpretation of it.
Under the Udala tree is an emotional read, covering the impact of war on families, and the nation, and the by-products of war, such as early marriages, lack of education, failed dreams, and missed opportunities. Additionally, the author covers sexuality in an era where same-sex relationships are taboo and the reliance on religion and its interpretation.
Reading Ijeoma's come-of-age story is worth the time. Seeing her challenge societal norms and boldly question religion felt refreshing. Under the Udala tree is a brave novel that deserves to be read. Some pages might come off as preachy and with too many bible verses. That took my concentration a bit but the narrative always brought me back.
The war tears families apart and hers is not spared. Her father succumbed to the war leaving behind a devastated wife and daughter. In an effort to save her daughter from the plague of hunger and war, Ijeoma’s mother sends her off to live with the grammar school teacher and his wife. She then sets off to her homeland in search of greener pastures for herself and eventually for Ijeoma.
Whatever the case, he had lost hope. Mama says that war has a way of changing people, that even a brave man occasionally loses hope, and sometimes all the pleading in the world cannot persuade him to begin hoping again.
The grammar school teacher and his wife took Ijeoma in, not like a daughter, but as cheap labour. She is almost 12 years old at the time, living in conditions no child should, enduring hours of hard labour and being rewarded with a meal or two. One day during her day-to-day duties she runs into Amina. Ijeoma takes Amina home with her and the grammar school teacher and the wife welcome the second ‘cheap labour’ in.
Their friendship blossoms, in each other Amina and Ijeoma, find a confidant, friend, sister, and lover. When the grammar school teacher catches them in the act, he has Ijeoma’s mother get her. At this point, two years have passed. The war is still raging and the country is in shambles.
Ijeoma’s mother upon reunion with her daughter falls on religion in an attempt to correct the evil that is Ijeoma. She plans for them to have bible study daily, only no questions are welcomed and so long as it is written, it is the only way. Ijeoma struggles to follow through with the ‘teachings’ but mom is relentless.
Excerpts:
In this moment, she felt more like another warden than my own mother, more like a husk _ more an emblem of motherhood than motherhood itself.
I could have argued even that late, but I acknowledged to myself that there was no sense in arguing anymore. All my arguments before this had gotten me nowhere.
The bible was beginning to feel almost negligible, as it was seeming to me more and more impossible to know exactly what God could really have meant.
She needed to know that there was more to the bible than her interpretation of it.
Under the Udala tree is an emotional read, covering the impact of war on families, and the nation, and the by-products of war, such as early marriages, lack of education, failed dreams, and missed opportunities. Additionally, the author covers sexuality in an era where same-sex relationships are taboo and the reliance on religion and its interpretation.
Reading Ijeoma's come-of-age story is worth the time. Seeing her challenge societal norms and boldly question religion felt refreshing. Under the Udala tree is a brave novel that deserves to be read. Some pages might come off as preachy and with too many bible verses. That took my concentration a bit but the narrative always brought me back.