Under the Udala Trees - Paperback

by Chinelo Okparanta (Author)

"If you've ever wondered if love can conquer all, read [this] stunning coming-of-age debut." -- Marie Claire

Front Jacket

A unique and devastatingly hopeful story about the paradox of love: even in the midst of war, and ina world dominated by violence and prejudice, still, love transcends." Mia Couto

Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does; born before independence, she is eleven when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child and they, star-crossed, fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities. They are also both girls.

When their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself. But there is a cost to living inside a lie.

Inspired by Nigeria s folktales and its war, Under the Udala Trees shows through one woman s lifetime how the struggles and divisions of a nation are inscribed into the souls of its citizens. In prose that is elegant and spare, with insights heartbreaking and electrifying, it offers a story shot through with hope that points to a future when a woman might just be able to become fully herself, shaping her life around truth and love.
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Back Jacket

A New York Times Book Review Editors Choice

Named a Best Book of the Year by
NPR * BuzzFeed * Bustle * Shelf Awareness * Publishers Lunch

[This] love story has hypnotic power. The New Yorker

Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does. Born before independence, she is eleven when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child and they, star-crossed, fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities. They are also both girls.But when their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself and there is a cost to living inside a lie.

Inspired by Nigeria s folktales and its war, Chinelo Okparanta shows us, in graceful and precise prose (New York Times Book Review), how the struggles and divisions of a nation are inscribed on the souls of its citizens. Powerful and heartbreaking, Under the Udala Trees is a deeply moving commentary on identity, prejudice, and forbidden love (BuzzFeed).

An important and timely read, imbued with both political ferocity and mythic beauty. Bustle

A real talent. [Under the Udala Trees is] the kind of book that should have come with a cold compress kit. It s sad and sensual and full of heat. John Freeman, Electric Literature

Demands not just to be read, but felt. Edwidge Danticat

Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Chinelo Okparanta is the author ofHappiness, Like Water. Her honors include an O. Henry Prize, twoLambda Literary Awards, and finalist selections for the Young Lions, the Caine Prize, and the Rolex Mentors andProteges Arts Initiative. She lives in New York."

Author Biography

Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, CHINELO OKPARANTA is the author of Happiness, Like Water. Her honors include an O. Henry Prize, a Lambda Literary Award, and finalist selections for the Young Lions, the Caine Prize, and the Rolex Mentors and Protégés Arts Initiative.