PURPLE HIBISCUS ||>: BY CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE. [EXTENSIVE REVIEW]

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Is one of Nigeria's profound, prolific and most decorated author, she has written several novels, Purple Hibiscus(2003) is her first Novel, Half of a Yellow sun (2006) and Americanah(2013), The Thing around Your neck among other numerous short stories, Plays, articles, Chimamanda is an internationally acclaimed renown author with several awards, honorary degrees and she belonged to several NOTEABLE bodies of writers both locally and internationally.

That's just a tip of the iceberg of the super woman, actually I've heard a lot about her as a Nigerian and an author especially her best seller and first novel that shoot out the root across the globe Purple Hibiscus with several praises to the book, I haven't really taught much about the book and I've never read any of her works, not until I saw the purple hibiscus novel when my niece brought it home from school and I decided to just glance through.

I didn't know when I went from one page to the next in such a swift pace I had covered much, I instantly fell in love with her flows of narration, the story line is intrigued and captivating got me glued to my seat such that in three days I was done reading through a 336-page novel.

BOOK OVERVIEW & CHARACTERS

PURPLE HIBISCUS is a contemporary novel set in Nigeria during the transition era between the 20th and 21st century at the times when the country was in between military and democratic regime, the storyline uses a first person narrative technique to convey the story of a small but wealthy nuclear family in Enugu state Nigeria. The story centres on the household of Eugene a wealthy and very influential figure who handled his home like a disciplinarian that he is, a devoted christian, religious leader and one who insist by all measures that his household follow strictly all the obligatory rites of the church so as not to miss heaven, even disowned his father for not converting to Christianity and for choosing to be a traditionalist instead.

Chimamanda in her works adopts Kambili As her main character and narrator she's the focal point of the story observing, analysing and studying every details of all that she saw, feel and heard, through her the author was able to achieve what I would call the perfect Narrating style using a first person narrating technique, this made her achive an endless flow of the storylines as one event leads on to another seamlessly carrying along with it every genre of humor, Comedy, tragedy, suspense and unending story that you wish should never end.

Kambili is a teenage girl between the age of 13-14, quiet, soft spoken, the second child and only daughter of Eugene who is most preferred and loved by her father, Kambili has mild speaking disability (stuttering) this made her rarely speak to anyone, most influenced by her father only found little bit of expression when she and jaja went to visit Aunty Ijeoma (Eugene sister) in Insukka after she insisted on them coming over to Nsukka to spend sometimes with their cousins after Christmas, cause their father barely let them out of their big, larger than a normal sized mansion to even interact with others except when they went to their different school still Kambili was most times quiet so much that some of the students call her a snob,

After the first visit to Nsukka they began going back there often during Holidays, maybe cause their mansion was now too small so they prefer Aunty Ijeoma's small congested house cause they have more freedom and ease of self to be, far from the hawky eyes of their father and mother and could play talk and gist with their cousin and nephew making them feel more alive.

Jaja on the other hand was becoming more of his father's younger version with the mind of his won, I guess he became more vivid after the visit to Nsukka envying how Obiora Aunt Ijeoma first son, how manly he is, taking responsibilities and doing a lot for for the family maybe because his father was late, or for the fact that he was more expose than him despite been of the same age, when jaja missed communion his father was so furious he threw something at him the broke the figurines that his mother adorn so much, for the first time jaja could challenge his authoritarian father when they wanted to return to Nsukka, they would go where or not he approves.

jaja would later on take on the blame of his father's death and go to prison on his mother's behalf who had poisoned him, I still don't know why his mother would kill her own husband, well? She rarely spoke anyone since after the incident,

Beatrice was a perfect description of an African House wife, humble, loyal, and submissive yet her husband Eugene would hit her at every slight provocation, tho she were expectant of another child since after jaja and Kambili she had lost twice the second event cause by her husband slaming the table on her making her loose the baby after she was discharged from the hospital she stole her husband money and ran to Nsukka to be with her children,

Since she barely spoke to anyone the reason she killed her husband was never known, and why she had to allow jaja suffer for her crime,

SUMMARY
The Story depicts an Original African contemporary setting of a family whose bread winner is an authoritarian, a core disciplinarian, high religious leader who with a strong fist ruled his family and ensure by all means they diligently follow every rites of the church but did not harmonise with his family, his children, the bonding was not complete as no one dare speak of anything contrary to his opinion on any matter, no one has a right whatsoever to do otherwise, everyone lived on the grip of fear rather than love.