Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - His Only Wife

I was surprised to like this book. I decided to read it as part of the challenge and I basically just chose it because of the location. It turned out I liked the main character, though none of the others.

I had mixed feelings about the storyline. The main character is upset because she wants to be the wife, but like it or not, she is the second woman, the one the man did not want. The man is a coward. He should have told his mother to pound sand, but instead he cheated on the first woman with the second one. The whole thing is manipulative and cowardly. The first woman should have left him and taken him to the cleaners.

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maregred's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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tiffanykw's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mommarex1221's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

There's so much to unpack in this novel about an arranged marriage that follows an unexpected course. I found Afi to be extremely relatable, despite the fact that she often acted as a very spoiled teenager. There's a heavy dose of frustrating supporting characters in which we, along with our heroine, must endure along the way. It's always very enlightening to read about different cultures and traditions, especially getting to see things from a different viewpoint. Ultimately, I enjoyed going on this journey with Afi and find myself thinking of the other women in the story and their perspective of the events as they unfolded. I'm glad this book was recommended to me, and I pad on the recommendation to you!

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hotkoolaidpotato's review

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emotional sad tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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treegirl22's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Enjoyed reading this book. It's an easy read and interesting. I would have liked more fleshing out of some of the characters

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belle2008's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

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kierscrivener's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was phenomenal book.

In contemporary Ghana, Afi lives in a small town where after her father's death ten years earlier they survive on the generosity of Aunty Ganyo (the rich non related head of business in their community), but everything changes when Aunty arranges for Afi to marry her son Eli in order take him from a relationship with a woman she dislikes. It is a story that subtly grew on me until by the end I was in love. Afi begins the novel as a twenty-one year old who is attempting to make a living as a seamstress and is thrust into a life where her future is dependent on winning back a man she has only known by appearance and who has a stand in at their wedding. She cooks, cleans and pretends to be a virgin and fulfil the proper image of a traditional wife, but throughout the novel she becomes more fully herself.

I love that Medie never makes any morality checks, we live in Afi's head and in her mindset. We don't spend any time denouncing co-wives or the limitations of gender norms but instead she allows the book to speak for herself. We see the progress naturally and without any commentary or sharp moments instead Afi acts in the way she understands and feels. And that is powerful. I don't want to say too much because I think it is a story you should read for yourself. But I appreciate that the ending isn't a cookie cutter simple answer. Instead we see that sometimes the answer is a hard one.

Medie is an editor, journalist and scholar and writes on Gender and Politics and I already have her curated list of research and journals queued up to read.

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