The Middle Daughter

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This was such a hard-hitting novel. I immensely enjoyed reading about the misunderstood Nani - her journey was emotional and uplifting and I could not stop reading. It is a very composed novel, never saying more than it needs to; the pacing, the length, the character development was spot on.

Chika Unigwe Chika Unigwe

The novel is based primarily in Enugu, with a few side scenes in the United States. Though these locations are central to the story, they add little to the story itself. In fact, I was left feeling like the author could have done a lot more to add color to the locations and help them come alive. A Climax That Fails to Impress nobody hurts you like the people who know you the best. but nobody knows you the least like people who think they know you best."

The loss triggered a series of events that affected them as a collective and individually. Whilst Nani, struggles to overcome the grief, her mother and younger sister seemed to have moved on. The resulting grief leads her to find comfort with a preacher man, but she soon finds herself trapped in an abusive marriage. THE MIDDLE DAUGHTER is brutal. It requires courage and hope. Courage to not give up on the story, on Nani. Hope that there is some humanity left in the world.

The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe — Dzanc Books

The May 2023 issue of World Literature Today ponders “The Future of the Book,” featuring a marquee interview with Azar Nafisi and contributions by others on the subject of books and book culture. The book review section rounds up the best new books from around the world, and additional interviews, poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction, culture essays, a postcard from the former Yugoslavia, and an outpost from Berlin make the May issue your perfect summer reading companion.

Although baby factories have only become well known in Nigeria in the past fifteen years or so, they have always been there except the one I knew wasn’t called that. When I was a child in Enugu, a woman with whose children I was friendly had a clinic that was very much like the one Nani’s mother owns. She also had the reputation , like Nani’s mother, of “helping pregnant, young women.” She was also known to be magnanimous, a Christian and an exemplary community leader. When I started writing Nani’s mother, I thought of this woman who must have thought of herself also as offering an indispensable service. In a country where sexual assaults happen, where single mothers are stigmatized, where sex education isn’t encouraged, a young woman who must carry a pregnancy she doesn’t want may not feel exploited if someone offered them room and board and some money to take the baby off their hands. And the “savior” may not feel that selling on the baby conflicts with any moral values they hold. Afterall, they did not force the women and it could be worse. As it was for a young woman I spoke to in researching this novel. And for the sister of another.

The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe – Canongate Books

Chika Unigwe’s novel The Middle Daughter centers a wealthy Nigerian family. The father owns a printing business, the mother is a doctor in the public health system and they have three daughters- one is currently in America studying and the other two attends a private school in Nigeria. They are a very happy family, filled with hope and happiness for the future… that is until one night they get a call from America that changes the trajectory of their family and upends life as they know it.

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I had not read any book set in Africa yet, so this was wonderful! Also to learn about their history a bit and the county dynamic and classes, really important and interesting. Death and pain are constants beginning with the death of a daughter in America. Udodi’s tragic passing on the eve of her imminent return leaves the family unmoored with things hurtling downhill from that point. Nani, the protagonist, is a sad and clearly traumatized woman whose life falls into the hands of her controlling husband. Unfortunately, much of the story doesn’t feel credible. In many ways, Nani comes across as plain stupid instead of being confused by grief, misunderstood by family, and consequently falling for a beguiling manipulator. Growing up, I primarily read Western literature. However, several outstanding Nigerian classics have remained etched in my mind over the years. While I’m familiar with the works of Chinua Achebe and Buchi Emecheta, I’ve not kept up with the works of newer writers. That’s why I decided to read The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe. But, when you have a parent who parents hard, whose soft edges are eroded by the work that she does, it's not hard to understand Nani whose shame and silence, forces her to make a life-altering choice with devastating consequences.