Ogadinma is a beautiful book filled with so many life lessons. It is very relatable; everyone knows someone who got pregnant and had to kiss the concept of school goodbye; everyone knows someone who is trapped in a loveless marriage where the man beats her like a village drum every Eke market day; everyone knows someone who left her violent husband, but was cut off from her family for refusing to die in the name of marriage.
Ogadinma, the eponymous character, is a bundle of insecurities. She is scared of failing her father, scared of her husband, intimidated of disappointing her aunt Ngozi who is also her sister-in-law, scared of her cousin, and terrified of even talking to neighbors.
She has meaningless sex for favors, nurses a passion for her husband's friend, and she goes for it. One cannot blame her; she was a teenager when she married. Her first attempt at exploring her sexuality ended in a nightmare, and she latched on to the semblance of affection she saw when the nightmare was over.
She did not have a say over her life, and her aunt, the hypocrite, pushed her into a marriage that shouldn't have happened in the first place while encouraging her own children to go to school.
Every other character in this book uses her in one way or the other. Her husband, Tobe, a spineless coward, made one bad decision after the other, never listened to good counsel, and took out his frustration and anger when things didn't go well for her. His character development had no redeeming factor; he went from bad to worse to worst!
Her father, Osita, was a man who wanted to redeem his already dented image by sending his daughter back again to her violent husband. Her aunt/sister-in-law, Ngozi, is the poster girl for the saying, 'Women are truly the enablers of patriarchy.' Her uncle, who pretends to understand how she feels but is as wicked as anyone; her cousins Nnanna and Ifeoma, especially Ifeoma, who, like her mother, is also vying to be a queen of patriarchy.
There is also Barrister Chima, a pedophile who didn't get his comeuppance for getting her pregnant in the first place.
Do you know what I wanted to do to them?
Grind their faces into a pulverized, gooey mess with my blender!
I don't understand how and why members of your family will decide to make your life a living hell.
A good book, of course, is not devoid of issues. Even the bestsellers have it. The inbreeding part that leads to complicated family relationships confused me. Ugonna is Ogadinnma's uncle, her father's younger brother. Ngozi is his wife, and Tobe is her younger brother. Yet, Tobe married Ogadinnma.
Does this apply in Igboland?
And if yes, I want to learn more, please. The whole story arc of Onye Ekpere was also confusing. The spiritualist served no factor other than complicating an already complicated life. And the fact that Ogadinma slept with him while pregnant is discomforting.
There is also the backdrop of a military regime in the 80s. I feel that this book can be set within any regime in Nigerian government history and still retain its enthusiasm.
I didn't really understand the inconsistencies with the dress and timeline of events, though, like the author was trying so hard to be modern.
Nevertheless, I like that the story is relatable, and I would have loved for this story to come out when Buhari cried on national television that he wanted to rule us by fire by force. Maybe Nigerians would remember then that he is the bad market.
This book deals with issues of child marriage, patriarchy, domestic violence, family in-breeding, Buhari's military regime, unwanted pregnancy, poverty, and divorce.
Ogadinma is highly recommended.
