His Only Wife

By: Peace Adzo Medie

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

A Time Magazine Must-Read Book of 2020

One of BuzzFeed's "29 Books We Couldn’t Put Down This Year"

A Must-Read Novel: The New York Times Book Review * BuzzFeed * Marie Claire * Parade * Travel + Leisure * Ms. Magazine * Bustle * The Millions * Book Riot * Christian Science Monitor * HelloGiggles

“[A] mesmerizing debut novel.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A story that kept me tied to the page, told in masterful, seamless prose.”—BuzzFeed

“I love this book so much I turned the pages so fast . . . It’s all about the search for independence and being true to yourself and who you really are.”—Reese Witherspoon

Afi Tekple is a young seamstress in Ghana. She is smart; she is pretty; and she has been convinced by her mother to marry a man she does not know. Afi knows who he is, of course—Elikem is a wealthy businessman whose mother has chosen Afi in the hopes that she will distract him from his relationship with a woman his family claims is inappropriate. But Afi is not prepared for the shift her life takes when she is moved from her small hometown of Ho to live in Accra, Ghana’s gleaming capital, a place of wealth and sophistication where she has days of nothing to do but cook meals for a man who may or may not show up to eat them. She has agreed to this marriage in order to give her mother the financial security she desperately needs, and so she must see it through. Or maybe not?

His Only Wife is a witty, smart, and moving debut novel about a brave young woman traversing the minefield of modern life with its taboos and injustices, living in a world of men who want their wives to be beautiful, to be good cooks and mothers, to be women who respect their husbands and grant them forbearance. And in Afi, Peace Medie has created a delightfully spunky and relatable heroine who just may break all the rules.

©2020 Peace Adzo Medie (P)2022 Algonquin Books

Critic reviews

A Library Journal Best Fiction Book of 2020

A SheReads Best of 2020: Women’s Fiction Best African Diaspora Book of 2020

“Peace Adzo Medie’s mesmerizing debut novel lives up to both the power of its first sentence and the promise of its author’s first name . . . At a time when adventure is scarce, Medie gives you a lot to look forward to, think about and be grateful for.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A fierce and funny first novel . . . [that] cleverly upends a Cinderella story into a tale of feminism.”—People

“A story that kept me tied to the page, told in masterful, seamless prose . . . Medie depicts a vivid and dazzling Accra, and it’s impossible not to root for Afi as she finds her footing within it.”—BuzzFeed

Conflicted

So, I must admit that I’m not finished with the book. The story is great! But the accent is bothering me. I wish that the reader was someone with an actual native accent and not so bland sounding. WHO mispronounces YAM!?!?!?!?

Review

I truly loved the plot. I expected Muna’s character to cause more havoc, but oh well☺️

Quite a wonderful story of choice

Realistic enough that I saw myself in many moments of various characters’ actions and emotions yet also in a culture unfamiliar to me. Even when characters are angry or distasteful the author slides in an undercurrent of underlying kindness and strength.

Terrible Narration

The narrator ruined it for me. Accent please. The story had potential and left the best storylines unexplored.

Excellent read

I read this title a little while about but I am surprised that it doesn't have many reviews. The story was captivating and the characters well developed, I felt like Afi was a personal friend. It was a very enjoyable novel you won't regret reading it

Great writing.

Wonderful! Looking for more from Ms Medie. I was glued to this story because the characters were so real and familiar.

What a great listen !

This was a terrific and very different listen.
I loved learning about Ghana and Ghanaian culture.
The book can be appreciated on a couple of different levels but the one that stuck with me was that it was the story of a society and culture in transition, particularly for women.
The writing style was beautiful, the characters were strong and unique, there was lots to think about in the issues brought up, the mother daughter dynamic had so many layers, so much to think about.
The narration was fantastic !

Slow to start but quick to become amazing!

The beginning was a little slow and I wasn’t sure what I thought or if I’d like it. But I was quickly engrossed and ended up loving the story!!

Good story, best ending

Great book, narrator was great. The ending was most intriguing part of the book for me. I will highly recommend it.

Loved it!

Great story! Enlightening cultural read. Love the character development and narration is perfect! Highly recommend.