Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This marvelous novel slipped by us. Four years ago it was a best seller and award winner. Our author, Adichie, is a Nigerian woman, a MacArthur Fellow, and recipient of other honors, who lives in Nigeria and the  US. The title of her novel is a nickname give to Nigerians who take on American affectations. It names lfemelu, the heroine (if I may use that word) of Americanh.

Adichie structures her novel so that she can record her astute, sometimes piercing observations about society in Nigeria, Britain, and especially America. By having the central couple, lfemelu and Obinze, fall into lasting love in high school and then travel to America and Britain, respectively. Both are children of middle class parents, whip smart, highly principled, and enamored of America.

In America, lfemelu discovers that she is black-that is, she is surprised to learn that the color of her skin is regarded as one of the most important things about her. After struggling to find her way financially, lfemelu establishes herself almost by accident. She starts a blog commenting about race in America. She explains race to non-American blacks and the experience of black people to non-black Americans. It is wildly successful and garners lfemelu an income, a career as a public lecturer, and ultimately a Princeton fellowship. Her observations-and I assume, Adichie's-are trenchant, accurate, never mean-spirited. Here's a brief example: "Imagine Obama, skin the color of a toasted almond, hair kinky, saying to a census worker-I'm kind of white. Sure you are, she'll say."

After fifteen years here, lfemelu returns to Nigeria and follows a similar trajectory, first struggling, then succeeding. And she earns and gets her nickname. Obinze appears, married. The resolution is not an easy one.

Adiche and Efemelu express their comments about the societies they experience are closely observed, piercing, sometimes amused, sometimes critical, but like lfemelu's blog never, ever mean-spirited. Like lfemelu, Adichie sees America with clarity and loves us anyway. The writing is beautiful. I was sorry to see this wonderful novel come to an end.