Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

On reaching Nnsuka, Ugwu marvels at how easy life was in the city, and after having a conversation with Odenigbo, he gets enrolled back in school. Odenigbo, a professor at the University of Nigeria, Nnsuka after his aunt recommended him. The story begins with Ugwu, a young village boy who gets sent to work for Mr. ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ is a novel that tells a story across two-time frames, the time before the Nigerian civil war of 1967 and the time during the war. Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below. Ugwu begins documenting the horrors he faced as a soldier for the Biafran army. After the war, people try picking up the pieces of their lives destroyed by years of conflict. However, he reunites with Odenigbo and Olanna. While in the Biafran army, Ugwu gets injured and is feared for dead. With the war ongoing, Odenigbo and his family flee Nnsuka for safety. Colonel Ojukwu, in retaliation, declares a sovereign government and calls it the Republic of Biafra this eventually leads the government of Nigeria to go to war with the newly formed state, which is one of the main themes in ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’. While at a party in Lagos before leaving for Port Harcourt, Kainene meets Richard, a British expatriate, and they fall in love.Īfter a failed coup and a toppling of the government, mass killings rock the northern part of the country, where thousands of Igbos get killed. Olanna’s sister, Kainene, moves to Port Harcourt in the southern part of the country to run her father’s business. Though a bit jealous, Ugwu comes to like Olanna. Soon after reaching Nnusuka, Ugwu is given an education by Odenigbo, and he soon meets Olanna, Odenigbo’s girlfriend. The story of ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’begins with Ugwu, a village boy who is sent to Nnusuka in the eastern part of Nigeria to work as a house servant for Odenigbo, a revolutionary professor who had a polarized view of the country’s politics. ‘Spoiler-Free Summary of Half of a Yellow Sun Known as one of the best historical fiction pieces of literature, the story of ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ draws upon the emotions of its reader to make them understand the story on a more empathetic level through the eyes of its characters.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie