“Dream Count”
It’s been 12 years since Chimamanda Adichie’s last novel, “Americanah” — winner of the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award and a staple of Best Books of the Year lists — introduced readers to her exploration of migration and the Americanization of an African woman.
Adichie returns with “Dream Count,” a novel that, like her previous work, centers on African characters. It begins with Chiamaka, an adrift Nigerian travel writer living in America. Through her, the story pivots to three other women: Omelogor, her cousin, a former banking executive turned unlikely Robin Hood; Zikora, her best friend, a successful D.C. lawyer with a less-than-successful love life; and Kadiatou, her former housekeeper, a widowed mother working in a luxe Manhattan hotel.
Even as all four women are rooted in Africa, their lives and concerns diverge drastically. Chiamaka, cushioned by her wealthy parents, wonders “What is the final measure for making the most of life, and how would I know if I have?” Meanwhile, Kadiatou, the powerless Guinean housekeeper, becomes the victim of a shocking, ripped-from-the-headlines crime — recalling the French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal.
With the backdrop of the COVID-19 lockdown, “Dream Count” juxtaposes privilege and survival — underscoring a fundamental challenge in this country. Adichie’s expressive prose deftly elevates the intertwined yet distinct narratives of these women — their shared desire for love and individual struggles to define and fulfill their dreams in America.
“The River Is Waiting”
Another long-awaited new book comes from Wally Lamb, bestselling author of “She’s Come Undone” and “I Know This Much Is True.” His highly-anticipated “The River Is Waiting” is his first novel in eight years.
The narrative follows Corby Ledbetter, a father who loses his job and, unable to find work, becomes the primary caregiver for his two young children. While his wife supports the family, he secretly numbs his frustration with hidden bottles of booze and pills — rationalizing them as mere coping mechanisms to help him get through the day. But when his addictions lead to a devastating tragedy, he is sentenced to prison, plunging his life into even deeper darkness.
Incarceration forces Corby into a new brutal reality, one that threatens his potential for sobriety, any chance of reconciliation with his wife and daughter, and even his survival. Amid the violence of the prison system — both from fellow inmates and abusive guards — he finds unexpected glimpses of humanity: a devoted mother, a prison librarian, a compassionate cellmate.
This was a difficult book to read — it’s harrowing and heart-wrenching, and much of it unfolds in a grim correctional facility. Yet for fans of Wally Lamb, it’s a riveting exploration of suffering and the possibility of redemption. “The River Is Waiting” examines not just the torment of prison — both literal and psychological — but also how a person, even burdened by enormous regret, can still hope for transformation and forgiveness.
“Theft”
I am including the latest novel by another African writer, Abdulrazak Gurnah, who was born and raised in Zanzibar. “Theft” marks his first work since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2021. In his acceptance speech, Gurnah spoke of his desire to write about “what the hard domineering eye cannot see, what makes people, apparently small in stature, feel assured in themselves regardless of the disdain of others,” and to let “the ugliness and the virtue come through” in his storytelling. “Theft” is a testament to those words.
This is an understated, intimate novel about three interconnected characters coming of age in late 20th-century Tanzania. Each carries a sense of being unwanted: Karim, abandoned by his mother at a young age, grows into an ambitious and self-assured young man; lovely Fauzia, inflicted with childhood epilepsy, faces the protective anxieties of her family members, who worry about her future; and Badar, a poor country boy with vague parentage, who is sent away as a teen to serve a wealthy couple.
The story unfolds in a territory where the aftermath of colonial transition is still felt — capturing the shifting landscape in Zanzibar. The arrival of tourism, foreign influence, and NGOs is viewed as both an invasion and an opportunity by locals assessing their place in the new world. Gurnah’s storytelling is restrained yet powerful, revealing his characters’ fates with tenderness, compassion, and quiet beauty. “Theft” is a novel of subtle transformations, where history lingers in the margins, shaping lives in ways both seen and unseen.
