His Only Wife by Medie, Peace Adzo

In this smart, funny Reese's Book Club pick and New York Times Notable Book, a young seamstress in Ghana agrees to an arranged marriage, only to realize that some compromises are too extreme to accept.

Get author Peace Adzo Medie's brand new novel, Nightbloom, too!

His Only Wife named a must-read novel: The New York Times Book Review * BuzzFeed * Time * Marie Claire * Parade * Travel + Leisure * Ms. * Bustle * The Millions * Book Riot * PopSugar * HelloGiggles * Kirkus Reviews* Good Morning America

Afi Tekple is a young seamstress in Ghana. Smart and pretty, she has also been convinced by her mother to marry a man she doesn't know: a wealthy businessman named Elikem. His family has chosen Afi in the hopes that she will distract him from a current relationship they disapprove of. When Afi is moved from her small hometown to live in Accra, Ghana's gleaming capital full of wealth and sophistication, she is not prepared for the way her life will change. But she has agreed to this marriage in order to give her mother the financial security she desperately needs, and so Afi must see it through. Or must she?

A witty, moving, and smart debut novel, His Only Wife takes place in a world of men who want their wives to be beautiful, to be good cooks and mothers, to grant their husbands forbearance. And in Afi, we meet a delightful, brave, and relatable heroine who just may break all the rules.

"[A] mesmerizing debut novel."
--The New York Times Book Review

"A story that kept me tied to the page, told in masterful, seamless prose."
--BuzzFeed

"I love this book so much I turned the pages so fast . . . It's all about the search for independence and being true to yourself and who you really are."
--Reese Witherspoon


Author: Peace Adzo Medie
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: 08/03/2021
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781643751467

Review Citation(s):
Shelf Awareness 08/24/2021

About the Author
Peace Adzo Medie's debut novel, His Only Wife, was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, a New York Times Notable Book of 2020, a Time magazine Must-Read Book of 2020, and a Reese's Book Club pick. Her book Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence against Women in Africa was published by Oxford University Press in 2020. She has won numerous awards for her scholarship and has held several fellowships, including the Oxford-Princeton Global Leaders Fellowship. She holds a PhD in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA in geography from the University of Ghana.