When London-born Ghanaian-Nigerian author Taiye Selasi’s short fiction “The Sex Lives of African Girls” was published in “The Best American Short Stories” in 2012, it was a clear indication that she was heading in the right direction. Her recent book “Ghana Must Go” has been hyped worldwide, and rightly so.
The novel takes a crack at several societal issues, but first, opens with the final moments of Kwaku Sai, a Ghanaian surgeon who has relocated to Ghana from the United States. As the story unravels, the reader is provided clues to help solve puzzle: After losing his job at the hospital, he suddenly abandons Folasade, his Nigerian wife whom he loves dearly, and their four children. Heart broken by his actions – because Kwaku neither discloses the reason for his abrupt disappearance nor ever calls to check up on the kids – she makes a radical decision by sending two of their children, who are twins, to her brother in Nigeria for a short period while she manages with the other two. The Nigeria experience brews issues of pain and incest amongst the two children, turning into anger and betrayal towards their mother.
There is heavy mystery in the storytelling, especially in the beginning, that might turn off a reader unfamiliar with such writing style. It takes a while for most of the narrating to make sense, however, the reader begins to see the story unfold in a way that builds interest.
The brilliant development of each character makes the story even more intriguing. From Olu, the eldest child and a surgeon who builds an interesting and somewhat complicated relationship with a Chinese-American, Ling. His uncomfortable encounter with Ling’s father, Dr. Wei, leaves him in a terrible state after Dr. Wei questions him about Africans asking: “But why is that place still so backward? I ask. And you know what I think? No respect for the family. The fathers don’t honor their children or wives. The Olu I knew, Oluwalekun Abayomi? Had two bastard children plus three by the wife. A brain without equal but no moral backbone.” Interestingly, this Olu he speaks to who is his daughter’s boyfriend happens to be the last person to see his father leave and the only one who knows the reason for his disappearance but keeps this secret to himself due to a promise he made to his dad.
And then there are the twins: Kehinde, a successful and wealthy painter who lives in isolation in a Brooklyn warehouse studio and Taiwo, an exceptional writer studying law whose loving yet complicated relationship with her twin brother has affected her relations with others. Sadie, the youngest and their mother’s favorite, is envied by Taiwo because she never received such love and attention from their mother. Sadie’s sexual orientation is questionable; she’s insecure and bulimic but is determined to work hard in the university to excel like her siblings.
There is a sense of darkness that weighs on the novel: death, betrayal, lies and sadness, however, they are woven into everyday experiences that make them appear tolerable. The story is not all about the negative though. In the end, the brokenness felt by each member of the family is mended and a much stronger bond is built.
Selasi does an excellent job of controlling the emotions of her readers with every bit of the unsolved puzzle that makes the whole story.