Dream Count

Especially since the publication of Americanah, Adichie has consistently proven she’s a voice to be reckoned with, with writing that offers an oscillating, dialogic approach to personal relationships and the political structures compounding (and sometimes confounding) them. Her early novels integrate what is uniquely personal with large political movements, drawing readers into complex power structures in ways that have a sharp sense of humanity. Her nonfiction works (We Should All Be Feminists and Notes on Grief) serve as pure expressions of emotion, controlled and constrained in such a way as to be felt wholly while still offering theoretical commentary. Her latest novel manages to achieve all of this. Following the lives of four women, Adichie tells the story of the COVID pandemic (or perhaps more aptly, provides glimpses into the kaleidoscope of stories comprising singular and collective pandemics) in ways that are relevant and real. The book has an overriding sentiment of grief imbricated by hope as each woman works through love, loss, and much more.