Ghana Must Go

Taiye Selasi's debut novel, Ghana Must Go, is certainly one not to be missed.  I received an advance copy of this title, due out in early March, and was very pleased.  If I haven't mentioned it before, I did study post-colonial literature during my college days.  My focus was more on Indian literature, but I also studied a lot of African titles, too.  It's been a while, so it was nice to read this one.

The story begins with Dr. Kweku Sai's death early one morning.  We see vignettes of his past life and the people with whom he was involved.  Specifically, we meet his former wife, Fola, who Kweku abandoned with four children.  The eldest, Olu, lives a good life as a doctor, but he saw something at a younger age that still haunts him.  Sadie is the baby of the family and beloved by everyone.  And then there are the twins, Taiwo and Kehinde, who have a relationship only twins can enjoy.  Both of them have their faults, too, and take turns feeling like the family outcasts.  They also keep a horrible secret relating to the aftermath of their father leaving.

I really love that the story is broken up into three sections.  The first gives the reader Kweku's background.  His rise through medical school, the various loves of his life, his interactions with the children, and his eventual abandonment of them is laid out in detail.  The second section presents background information on the four children and the struggles they have had to endure since the night their father left.  The twins were dealt a huge blow during the immediate aftermath, which is a heartbreaking portion of the story.  The final section sees the four children and their mother reunited in Ghana, in an effort to deal with Kweku's death and their feelings towards him and each other.

This is a powerful debut novel and I look forward to Selasi's next offering.