“You know that small table where we keep the family Bible, nne ? Your father broke it on my belly”. That line deep into Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ’s Purple Hibiscus , her debut novel, broke my heart in so many ways. Powerful book indeed. Purple Hibiscus is told through the eyes of a child, 15-year-old Kambile. She’s a quiet, nervous teenager. Her Catholic father, a religious and fanatical tyrant, is physically and extremely emotionally abusive. Interesting enough the word “abuse” is never used in the story – Adichie like the skilled story teller she is – shows us the abuse and doesn't spell it out for the reader. I don’t know how Adichie managed to capture abuse the way she did via Kambile. Through Kambile’s eyes I saw a loving family man, a solid Christian, a community leader, a giver and a strict man. She doesn't over-emphasize the abuse. She doesn't openly voice out how wrong it is. She loves her father and even protects him. Yet once you read between...
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