Book Review: Becoming Abigail By Chris Abani

During the week, I read a book by a Nigerian writer. In my last post in the Hive Book Club community, I shared that I am currently taking a course on Nigerian Literature— exploring the works of Nigerian writers from the introduction of writing to the country to the contemporary era. This explains why my recent book reviews have been solely based on Nigerian books. I am also taking a course on Shakespeare. The title of the course is literally Shakespeare, but I’ve not found the zeal to review those books yet. Last month, I reviewed more than 5 Nigerian books. Unlike my other book review, this one is different. Although it was written by a Nigerian author, the book has nothing to do with Nigerian culture. The author uses a setting in Nigeria, but the main setting is London.

The title of the book is Becoming Abigail by Chris Abani. I’d never read a book by this author, this book was my first. Before I picked it up, I was excited to see what awaited me. Christopher Abani is a Nigerian American novelist and poet . His father was Igbo- specifically from the Eastern part of Nigeria- Ebonyi State. On the other hand, his mother was from England. He received his education in London and California. Before I started reading Becoming Abigail, I researched about Chris Abani and found out interesting things about him. Like many other popular writers, Chris Abani started his writing journey at a very early age. However, unlike many other writers who write about simple things when they were younger, Chris's first novel landed him in prison. What’s more interesting? He was only 16 years old.

At the age of 16, Chris Abani published his first novel about the Nigerian government, Masters of the Board. According to an information I saw on Wikipedia, “It was a political thriller, the plot of which was an allegory based on a coup that was carried out in Nigeria just before it was written.” The Nigeria of that time is different from the Nigeria today. You say one thing against them, and the next thing you know, they are in front of your door. At the age of 16, Chris Abani was imprisoned and tortured for 6 months. One would expect that the experience would break him. However, it was a catalyst for more masterpieces to come.

Plot Summary

Becoming Abigail by Chris Abani revolves around a character named Abigail, whose mother died in childbirth. She grows up with her father in the village, who blames her for her mother's death. Abigail's father is stuck in the past with his wife, Abigail's mother. He even named Abigail after her. As if that's not enough, he wants her to be exactly like her mother. "Abigail (his wife) would never do this. Abigail would always do things this way." Abigail tries as much as she can to bring her father back to reality and focus on her own life. Her mother is gone, and nothing can bring her back. Abigail is a different person, not the same Abigail he married. As the story progresses, Abigail's father commits suicide. Why did he commit suicide? What would be her fate as an orphan? Read the book to find out.

My review and rating

In general, I enjoyed reading this book. At first, I found it boring. The first chapters were difficult to understand. I had to read between the lines over and over again before I finally grasped what Chris Abani was trying to pass across. The book is basically traveling between the past and present, so it was difficult for me to focus on the main thing. One chapter, we are the past, and the next, we are in the present.

Nonetheless, Chris Abani’s mastery of creative language must be applauded. He uses narrative and descriptive language to pass his message across. I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars and I recommend it to all book lovers.

Thumbnail generated using MetaAi. All other images are mine.

Thanks for reading.