Read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's First Work of Fiction Since "Americanah"
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Award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a new work of fiction out—her first since her 2013 novel Americanah.
Zikora, Adichie's new short story, is available free for Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited Members on October 27.
The audio version is narrated by actress Adepero Oduye.
It's a good day for fiction lovers. Actually, make that a great day. Anyone who has been holding their breath for more of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's sweeping fiction since her 2013 epic immigration novel Americanah can officially exhale.
Zikora, out October 27, is Adichie's first work of fiction since Americanah. The standalone short story, which explores one woman's bumpy road to motherhood, will be released through Amazon Original Stories, and is free for Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Zikora is available to purchase for non-subscribers, too.
While in quarantine, the MacArthur genius has been entertaining us with readings of her past work, from Americanah to introductions of coffee table books about the future of African football. Judging by the tantalizing official summary of "Zikora," we hope this short story is next.
When Zikora, a DC lawyer from Nigeria, tells her equally high-powered lover that she’s pregnant, he abandons her. But it’s Zikora’s demanding, self-possessed mother, arriving in town for the birth, who makes Zikora feel like a lonely little girl all over again. Stunned by the speed with which her ideal life fell apart, she turns to reflection on her mother’s painful past and struggle for dignity. Preparing for motherhood, Zikora begins to see more clearly what her own mother wants for her, for her new baby, and for herself.
However, even if we never get a special Instagram read-a-long from Adichie herself, we'll have the masterful audiobook to listen to: Zikora will be narrated by actress Adepero Oduye (Pariah, 12 Years a Slave).
With Zikora, Adichie joins a group of more and more authors who are publishing short fiction exclusively for Amazon. The list includes Cheryl Strayed, Roxane Gay, Caroline Kepnes, Dean Koontz, Curtis Sittenfeld, Alice Hoffman, and just about all of your favorite thriller authors. Mindy Kaling opened up about her life in six pieces, which she also narrated.
The short story will explore the unique challenges of Black mothers face in the U.S., including a disproportionately high mortality rate, as well as the quandary of being a working mother. What happens when the life you imagined for yourself is quickly, and urgently, eclipsed by the life you have—and the life that's on its way? Find out in Zikora.
Afterwards, turn to one of Adichie's other novels, essays, and short stories for a quarantine reading marathon—including We Should All Be Feminists, sampled in Beyoncé's "Flawless."
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