Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

What I really liked about Dream Count is Adichie’s tone. There’s this gentleness in her writing—it’s almost as if you can hear her voice.

I waited with bated breath for Odéluwà’s book, and while it didn’t disappoint, it also didn’t stun. You’ll be disappointed if you’re expecting the feeling of Purple Hibiscus or Americanah.

Without further ado, let’s dissect Dream Count.

Chiamaka

Chiamaka is our dreamer, quintessential lover girl, and wanderer at heart. She is beautiful, rich, and very unrealistic. We see her stumble from one relationship to another and refuse to settle.

At the end of the day, I think she just doesn’t want to accept that she isn’t the marrying kind, and that’s okay.

Zikora

Zikora, remember the short story, yes? We see her more fully represented here. She’s our resident cynic; her story depicts the struggle mother- daughter relationships face and encourages us to be more gentle with them.

I can’t say I blame Zikora; she was just a child, but her mother’s poise is something to be studied. This, however, affects her love life; she constantly baits men, not necessarily because she loves them but in hopes that they’ll marry her, as she’s learned from society’s dictates that you cannot be a successful woman unless you have a husband.

After having her child, she begins to mature and see the world through a mother’s eyes, finally understanding her mother. Hers is a rather neat ending.

Omelogor

Omelogor, confident, independent, and corrupt, the Robin Hood herself, has an issue with tolerating men and can actually afford not to have them around.

Through her POV, we see women try to break free of societal cages and seek ways to survive in them, the corruption in our finance sector, and her well-intentioned plan to redistribute that money. Omelogor can come across as very masculine, but you can’t carry all that responsibility and remain the same.

Nafissatou

Nafissatou, our ever-graceful and capable immigrant, was content, beautiful, and simple… But sadly, aside from her struggles, there wasn’t much to her character.

The plot was the only reason that this book drew me back…. A book that talks only about people’s love life? It wasn’t until we got to Nafissatou and Omelogor that I actually started seeing something more than poorly chosen men.

Verdict

What I really liked about Dream Count is Adichie’s tone. There’s this gentleness in her writing—it’s almost as if you can hear her voice.

Of course, the prose was well done, and overall, her message was that women should be free to determine what success means for them and not force and pressure themselves to conform to standards they don’t understand or believe in. For these three things, this book was a hit for me.