Nigerian-born Igbo writer Chika Unigwe returns with her new novel, Grace, whose eponymous protagonist is a successful businesswoman, mother of twins and adored wife. Despite her perceived success, Grace is haunted by her past: the abuse she suffered as a teenager, and the loss of a child she was forced to bring into the world, then give up – referred to, as a consequence, only as Baby.
Each year, on Baby’s birthday, Grace celebrates by eating a cake. “Grace was not superstitious, but she believed in things. Like this ritual for one. Wherever Baby was, it connected Grace to her. If she gave it up, if she missed one year, then Baby would become a ghost,” Unigwe writes.
Structured through short chapters interloping between Grace’s current life and a past waiting to catch up with her, Grace deals in a sensitive manner with the issues of modern Nigeria. Unigwe’s writing is powerful and really pulls the reader in – although the closing ‘twist’ felt unnecessary, almost as if the author started doubting her power. Overall, though, this is a stunning work whose themes encompass motherhood, healing, trauma and forgiveness.
