Dream Count: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s First Novel After A Decade
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a seasoned Nigerian writer who has held the world spellbound with her art of storytelling over the years. Since the early 2000s, her novels have shaped global conversations on feminism, identity, and race, earning her a place among the greatest writers of the 21st century.
From her debut novel Purple Hibiscus to the globally acclaimed Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah, and the story collection titled: “The Thing Around Your Neck”, Adichie has consistently told stories that are deeply personal and universally relevant. But beyond her fiction, she’s also a powerful voice in cultural discourse. Her TED Talk “We Should All Be Feminists” became a defining manifesto of modern feminism, even sampled in Beyoncé’s song “Flawless.”
Just by the ink of her pen, she has built a literary empire rooted in powerful female narratives, identity, and cultural evolution.
For years, fans have been asking: When will she write another novel? Now, after a long break of more than a decade from full-length fiction, she’s back with Dream Count, a novel that already began stirring conversations even before its official release.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s new novel, Dream Count, is one of the most anticipated books of 2025. The book was officially released on March 4, 2025, thirteen years after her last novel titled Americanah.
In November 2020, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel “Half of a Yellow Sun” was recognized as the “Winner of the Winner’s” of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, marking it as the best book to have won the prize in its 25-year history.
You might be wondering what all the fuss and buzz is about and what exactly makes Dream Count stand out in the already crowded world of contemporary fiction. That is what we are here for.
Dream Count Plot: A Tale of Four Women and the Threads That Bind Them
Heaven forbid Adichie writes just another fictional story. Dream Count is a rich book that jets between the US and Nigeria. The story is about four compelling female protagonists, each at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives: Chiamaka, Zikora, Omelogor, and Kadiatou, and how they navigate the disconnect between their expectations and the realities of their lives.
The main character is Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer and the daughter of a wealthy family, living in the U.S. at the start of the pandemic lockdown. She constantly adds to her body count and calls them her “dream count” of men who fall short of the qualifications of a life partner. She opens the book by saying “I have always longed to be known, truly known, by another human being.” The isolation during the lockdown results in her re-examining her life choices, mainly her numerous failed relationships and what “home” truly means.
Her best friend, Zikora, is an ambitious lawyer who has tried to do everything required of her in life, hoping that everything will fall right into place, but she unexpectedly finds herself a single mother.
Omelogor, Chiamaka’s cousin, is a very successful banker who understands the power dynamics in a male-dominated industry and plays by the rules but sadly, she is a closed wall emotionally. And there is Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, whose life takes a tragic turn after a traumatic experience that exposes deep-rooted class inequalities.
Fun Fact: In the author’s note, the writer reveals that this character is based on a real-life story. You can smell and taste Adichie’s signature all over the novel. There is a distinct exploration of unfiltered, raw, and painfully real womanhood in modern Nigeria and beyond.
The four women’s lives are intertwined, their struggles familiar yet uniquely their own. Each character is meticulously crafted with raw emotions, their thoughts are crisp and realistic. It’s almost like you can feel every emotion they feel.
Dream Count Story
One thing Adichie has always done exceptionally well is writing women as they are, not as society expects them to be. The characters aren’t flawless, nor do they fit into “perfect” female stereotypes. They make mistakes. They love the wrong people. They fight, they cry, they lose, and they become better. In Dream Count, each woman represents a different shade of contemporary womanhood.
Chiamaka’s story resonates with anyone who has ever felt caught between two worlds: one foot in their homeland, the other in a new country, unsure where they truly belong. Zikora shows us that even successful women struggle with internalized expectations about marriage, children, and self-worth.
Omelogor’s journey into the dark side of corporate ambition speaks to the unspoken realities that many women face in professional spaces, especially male-dominated spheres. And Kadiatou? Her story is the rawest reminder of the dangerous intersections of class and gender where the voices of the most vulnerable are often silenced.
Let’s also talk about how this is a pandemic novel that doesn’t feel like a “Pandemic Novel.” When authors write about COVID-19, it feels too direct and is written like a documentary or a social media rant disguised as fiction. In Dream Count, the pandemic exists in the novel but it serves as a backdrop rather than the main event, making it one of the standout works in modern Nigerian literature.
For Chiamaka, the lockdown forces self-reflection on her nomadic lifestyle. Zikora experiences the isolation of the pandemic in a way that magnifies her emotional struggles. Omelogor worked through the economic shifts in the banking sector and the fragility of corporate loyalty. Kadiatou, already at the bottom of the social hierarchy, finds her situation worsened by the pandemic’s economic strain.
Instead of making COVID-19 the story, Dream Count mirrors how it impacts personal lives in both subtle and profound ways, just like it did in real life. How mind-blowing is that!
Dream Count Reviews: What Critics and Readers Are Saying
Even before its official release, Dream Count was already making waves. Reviews from critics have been positive so far.
The Guardian calls it “a striking return to fiction,” while The Financial Times describes it as “a masterful exploration of womanhood in a changing world.”
Literary Hub notes that “Adichie’s characters are as complex and compelling as ever, making Dream Count a book that lingers long after the last page.”
Social media is also buzzing. On Twitter (or should we say “X”?), Adichie’s fans are already debating which character they relate to the most. One user hilariously posted:
“Chiamaka is me. I, too, pretend I don’t need love, then cry into my Jollof at midnight.”
Dream Count is hitting all the right emotional notes and fast becoming the reader’s favourite. It’s no coincidence that this book is finally out in 2025.
We’re living in an era where conversations about gender, identity, and personal freedom are more heated than ever. Women are demanding more, questioning more, and refusing to fit into traditional molds. Dream Count just reflects this shift and acknowledges that feminism isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s messy, personal, and deeply tied to individual experiences. The book asks questions we perhaps have but are never voiced. Can women truly “have it all,” or is that a myth? What does it mean to be free in a world that still imposes limits on women?
What does “success” actually mean in a world where emotional fulfillment is still undervalued?
These are real conversations that need to be had, and Adichie has, once again, proven that she is one of the best voices to lead them.
If you’re a fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s books, this new release should be at the top of your reading list. And if you’re not a fan or you’re just indifferent, you should read the book too. Dream Count is a book we all should read because it doesn’t just tell a story; it demands that you feel it. And honestly, That’s what great literature should do. Adichie’s return to fiction is everything we hoped for and more.
Happy “Dream Count” release to all who celebrate!
Have you read Dream Count yet? What character resonates with you the most?
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