Friday, 6 December 2019

TOADS FOR SUPPER. By Chukwuemeka Ike





This rather early African novel reminds us of how important marriage is, or should be, and how very important the process is to those who hail from rural areas (village) even if the protagonist is having a western education at a university. From the perspective of his parents, the ideal woman for Amadi would be the well brought up if naive village girl they want him to marry. But with his exposure to campus life, Amadi meets other women from other regions who seem more appealing. Yet Aduke, the woman he is most attracted to, despite higher education, is naive in her own way too, especially in sexual matters as we see. Amadi finds himself in a very tight corner in the end - in this fine work where campus/academic life is vividly recreated.
- Madolyn Chukwu