First published 2021
Afi Tekple works as a seamstress in a small Ghanaian town, living with her widowed mother and spending time at her uncle Pious's crowded household. Her narrow world shifts when the wealthy Ganyo family proposes marriage between Afi and their son Elikem, a man she barely knows. She accepts, but Elikem sends a stand-in to represent him at their wedding ceremony. Weeks later, Afi moves to a luxurious apartment in Accra and finally meets her absent husband. She discovers that Elikem loves another woman his family rejects. The Ganyos expect Afi to win back his affections and loyalty. Instead, Accra itself captures Afi's heart. The capital city offers her possibilities for independence she never imagined in her small town. Peace Adzo Medie brings intelligence and humor to this debut novel about a determined young woman navigating marriage, family expectations, and her own desires in contemporary Ghana.
Genres: fiction, family-life, contemporary, 21st-century, africa, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, marriage-of-convenience
Setting: Accra, Ghana
Period: 21st-century
Paperback · Oneworld