Review; So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ

As part of my World Literature Project, I ended up reading So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ, who is from Senegal. Today I'll post my review of this novella.

Description from Goodreads

It is not only the fact that this is the most deeply felt presentation of the female condition in African fiction that gives distinction to this novel, but also its undoubted literary qualities, which seem to place it among the best novels that have come out of our continent. - West Africa

This novel is a perceptive testimony to the plight of articulate women who live in social milieux dominated by attitudes and values that deny them their proper place. It is a sequence of reminiscences, some wistful, some bitter, recounted by a recently widowed Senegalese school teacher. The letter, addressed to an old friend, is a record of her emotional struggle for survival after her husband's abrupt decision to take a second wife. Although his action is sanctioned by Islam, it is a calculated betrayal of his wife's trust and a brutal rejection of their life together.

My Thoughts on the Book

So Long a Letter is a thought-provoking and eye-opening piece about loss, family, religion and feminism and it adressess polyamory, widowhood and several other themes. It's a book that should be read. No, scratch that. So Long a letter needs to be read.