Adua

ADUA

by Igiaba Scego

 

Nomination: Dublin Longlist 2019

 

Date Read: June 21, 2022

 

Adua is an interesting take on very distinct periods of time in the life of Adua and her father, Zoppo. The narrative alternates between her father’s growing up in the wilds of Africa, to him going to prison for consorting with Jews (I wasn’t very clear on this), to becoming a translator for an Italian ambassador. Additionally, chapters entitled “Talking-To” show the reasons Adua is scolded as she grows into a young woman.

 

Adua is raised in the traditional Somali way, being subservient to her father and being circumcised upon her coming of age. Her mother died during childbirth and the only mother Adua knows is her father’s second wife. Overall, however, Adua leads a very interesting life, moving with her father from Somalia to Italy, having a brief and exploitative movie career and marrying a younger man. The juxtaposition of her circumcision and the Italian producer discovering her stitches felt like a violent clash between old world and new world.

 

Parts of this novel were absorbing and others failed to capture my imagination. I feel like this novel was incomplete or, possibly, so heavily edited as to omit certain key moments. Either way, I never connected to the characters, although I want the best for Adua regardless. 

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