Reactions as Chimamanda Adichie Releases Latest Short Story ‘ZIKORA’ After Americanah

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It’s been seven years since we had a taste of something irresistibly delicious from the stables of the award-winning Nigerian author, Chimamanda Adichie, whose award-winning Novel Americanah (National Book critics circle Award 2013) took the world by storm. And so, it is with superb enthusiasm that lovers of fiction, various writing communities, and Adichie loyalists across the world welcomed the ecstatic news of her latest short story release titled ZIKORA.

The award-winning author’s newest release makes a first since her last fiction publication in 2013 (Americanah), and this is exciting news for fiction lovers and Adichie’s enthusiasts who received the news with a renewed amount of feverish anticipation.

During the pandemic, Adichie had taken to her Instagram page to engage her fans and followers with special readings and discussions of her creative literary pieces.

Fans who have been holding their breaths after having a taste of her 2013 novel Americanah, can finally breathe freely as something good (Zikora) is here from the stables of Adichie herself.

What is Zikora All About?

Zikora is a short story that explores the lines and challenges associated with motherhood, pregnancy, work-mom life, being Black, and the complications faced by black mothers in the US including the alarming spike of mortality in the state.

We’re plunged into the mind of the titular character ‘Zikora’, a D. C lawyer from Nigeria, who faces the dilemma of desertion after her boyfriend learns about her pregnancy. But this appears to be the least of her struggles when her mother arrives at the scene to supposedly ‘help’ with the birth of the child.

Zikora, Adichie’s latest short story was released on Tuesday the 27th of October 2020. Only Recently, Entertainment weekly released a spicy excerpt of this 35- paged short story with the author’s permission. You can read it here

Here’s the official summary of the book.

When Zikora, a DC lawyer from Nigeria, tells her equally high-powered lover that she’s pregnant, he abandons her. But it’s Zikora’s demanding, self-possessed mother, arriving in town for the birth, who makes Zikora feel like a lonely little girl all over again. Stunned by the speed with which her ideal life fell apart, she turns to reflect on her mother’s painful past and struggle for dignity. Preparing for motherhood, Zikora begins to see more clearly what her own mother wants for her, for her new baby, and for herself.

5 Reasons Chimamanda Adichie Short Story ZIKORA is So Special

This is her first write-up after her initial 7 years fiction break
This short story takes a new curve as Chimamanda expresses the ordeals of motherhood, career, pregnancy, and the high tilting mortality tendencies of women.
This story is spiced and fondly narrated by Adepero Oduye who starred as Pariah in the ‘12 years a slave’ movie. She is the voice of the story
This book can be termed the ‘Covid fiction’ as Chimamanda wrote most of it during the pandemic.
This short story is free for amazon prime and kindle unlimited members and open for purchase for non-subscribers. With this, Chimamanda joins a list of other prime time Amazon Original Stories and standalone fiction written exclusively for Amazon, like Roxanne Gay, Cheryl Strayed, Caroline Kepnes, Dean Koontz, Alice Hoffman, amidst several others.

Some Reasons Why You Can’t Ignore Chimamanda Adichie

Chimamanda who came to fame after her novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’ won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, is also a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and is most notably referred to as the literary daughter of the highly acclaimed Chinua Achebe, a notable giant of African literature.

With her other books, one of which was named ‘The New York Times Top Ten Best Books of 2013’ (Americanah), Adichie has also gone on to win several notable prizes including the Orange Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, amidst several others.

Adichie’s TED TALK, The Danger Of A Single Story, given in 2009 is presently one of the most-watched of all time, including ‘We Should All Be Feminist’ (2012) which has become one of the frontiers for feminism and feminist-focused conversations all over the world.

What Women Are Saying About Chimamanda Adichie New ZIKORA Release

How To Get The Book:

You can download ZIKORA here.

Find and listen to the audiobook read aloud by Adepero Oduye here.

You can read some of her books here. And after you’re done with them, you can find out what the real deal with Chimamanda Adichie is. You should also watch her Ted Talks here and here too.

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