An Analysis of “His Only Wife”
Cassie Daves said after reading this book and I quote “I’ve read a shit of tons of book this year. Some that made me cry and reflect on my life, some that made me laugh, and some that took me on a ride. I want to say this book belongs to one of the categories, but unfortunately it didn’t do much for me.”
I am citing Cassie because I agree with her experience and just like her, I have read several books this year.
“The Only Wife” is relatively a good book, but it didn’t do much for me either, knowing the book was written by a Lecturer in Gender and International Politics, Peace Adzo Medie, I believe I know where she is coming from.
Drawing a picture of what the culture of Ghana use to be or perhaps, is still, with the help of a major character named Afi Tekpele. The book is about a young seamstress, traversing the minefield of modern life with its taboos and injustices, living in a culture of men who wants to eat their cake and still have it. Afi, the major character got married to a supposedly hot cake, Elikem that didn’t come to his wedding because he was in love with another Lebanese woman, whom his mother was against.
Afi who had lived in a village, named Ho for years and finally moved to a place of wealth and sophistication where she has days of nothing to do but cook meals for a man who may or may not show up to eat them. She has agreed to this marriage to give her mother the financial security she desperately needs, and so she is supposed to see through it because she is indebted to her mother in law that grants her this luxurious life.
Eli Baba, Afi’s hot cake husband (Read the Eli Baba in a thuggish voice) showed up months after his marriage to visit his new wife in one of his plush apartments. As per Baba see fine woman, he fell in love while still in love with the Lebanese woman, Muna.
After months of sweet so-called married, but Eli still going forth between the real wife and the baby girl of his youth. AFI finally realized this is not the life she signed up for.
To not give you all the juicy content? You can buy it for my friend at LUMBOOKS Ng for 4,000 only.
AFI found out she was only a tactic used by Eli’s family to convince Eli not to marry the Lebanese woman. Baby girl was so in love with him, and Eli also claimed to love her back, and also in love with Muna. He said he love both of them equally (Is that even possible, Ogbeni! Come off it)
My favorite part of the novel was Afi not staying in the marriage, she knew what was right and she stood her standard, the displeasing part was everyone keeps telling her to be reasonable, which I don’t even infer what reasonable is in this context. There was a part Eli said, “Divorce? You can’t be serious, because of this?” and she responded “Yes, because of this… I hate it when you say that when you dismiss my pain and suffering as unreasonable… How would you feel if I cheated on you, if I told you I want to be married with another man while married to you?” Pg 252
I really hate the normalizing of statements like “Men will always cheat” which kain men will always cheat?
Cheating is very godawful, never justified, and anybody can cheat regardless of gender. That’s on periodt!
As usual, don’t just read my synopsis and go! Clap like 50 times, buy the book from my friend. And what else? Tell me your opinion and please don’t ask me questions like what if I am Afi? I am not Afi and I can’t be Afi.
