I fell in love with Adichie when I read first We Should All Be Feminists and then Americanah. As a fan of short stories I was excited to pick up her collection, The Thing Around Your Neck. Twelve stories all about life and what I brings us set, of course, in Nigeria.
This was an enjoyable collection of short stories. I absolutely adore Adichie’s voice and tone and thoroughly enjoy anything she writes. I do have to admit I wasn’t quite as smitten as I was with Americanah. I think I preferred the depth and detail of the characters and the novel, which the short stories didn’t quite convey. I also didn’t have the same emotional reaction as I did with Foreign Soil, Maxine Beneba Clarke’s short story collection about people of colour.
All that being said I do still recommend this collection, particularly if you are a fan of Adichie. I am still left wanting more of her unique and captivating voice. I definitely connected more with some stories than others and certainly warmed more into the collection the further I delved in. Another work of beauty by Adichie that is well worth picking up.
