A woman overcomes the twin adversaries of racism and misogyny. Adah dreams of leaving her home town of Ibuza in Nigeria and travelling to the United Kingdom. Orphaned as a young girl, she manages to study and finds a good paying job as a library clerk at the American Consulate. This financial success turns out to be a two edged sword. Her earning power makes her an attractive bride to Francis and his family. They marry and Francis decides to travel to the UK himself, to further his law studies. With two children already, Adah manages to convince Francis’ family that she should travel to the UK too. Due to Adah’s colour and ethnicity, it’s expected that she’ll take some low paying menial work, but she finds another library job. This keeps Francis happy, as Adah supports him and the children financially. It’s not the most perfect set-up. Adah would like Francis to work and behave like a real husband, instead of another child to be looked after. Worse still, the relationship is abusive. Adah is not only worked to the bone, but Francis regularly beats and sexually abuses her. More hardships ensue as Adah repeatedly finds herself pregnant, with her stays in the maternity ward utterly humiliating. Francis doesn’t bother to buy her much needed new nighties to wear in hospital or show any concern for her welfare. She eventually hits rock bottom and can only see one way out of her myriad troubles. Buchi Emecheta (1944 – 2017) was a Nigerian born novelist, based in the UK from 1962. Second-Class Citizen (1974) is her second novel and is largely autobiographical. While the subject matter sounds grim, Emecheta weaves plenty of dark humour through her punchy narrative. As each disaster looms, worst than the last, the only option left is a desperate laughter. The novel deals with two main themes: the treatment of women and the effects of British racism. The scenes where Francis and Adah desperately try to find somewhere to live after a peremptory eviction, finding many places barred to them due to their colour, are shocking. Their family is eventually forced to take up residence in a place not fit for a dog. The abusive treatment that Adah undergoes at the hands of her husband, enduring traumatic pregnancies and hospital stays, will make the reader fume with indignation. Second Class Citizen thankfully doesn’t have a tragic ending, even though it seems inevitable. It’s a testament to Adah’s extraordinary guts and determination that she can put herself on the road to dignity and self-worth. A page turning story told with humour and grit. Don’t miss it. Second Class Citizen, by Buchi Emecheta. Penguin Modern Classics. $22.99 Review by Chris Saliba Comments are closed.
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