This is one of those books that has been on my ‘to read’ stack for a long time. Immediately after finishing it, every other book Adichie has written has been added to my stack.

This is an extraordinary book told from the perspective of three different characters. These are richly imagined characters that come to life from the very first sentence.

The multiple interwoven stories are deftly handled. While the storylines are complex, the form a coherent hold. Somehow Adichie managed this while avoiding a neat and tidy ending. This book shows that avoiding this type can have more of an impact than a “satisfying” resolution.

But more than anything, this book shows the reality of war: the impact it has on the lives of ordinary people, the shame it induces and the acts of everyday heroism it takes to survive. It also shows how easily our comfortable lives can be taken away and replaced with a life where finding the next meal is a challenge.

This book is the reason I read. This is the type of book that I hope to find but rarely do; the kind of book that changes the way you see the world and changes you.