That Thing Around Your Neck

The things that we carry around with us, heavy and loaded, are normally hidden away and compartmentalized; grief is slipped into a back pocket; fear is folded gentle like a handkerchief into a purse, prejudiced tucked away in a tattered case designed for spectacles. But what we wear around our necks, are the heaviest and the most visible perhaps not to the wearer, but to the rest of the world; they are our very own shackles, capable of drowning or adorning us.

The 12 protagonist in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's collection of short stories " That Thing Around Your Neck" all have neck pieces of different types and shapes, but inherently there are all forged from duality: the duality that stems from living within two cultures (Nigerian and American), of tradition and modernity, past and future and self and other.

The stories also explore the concept of personal and political spaces, using the lives of characters to cast a bigger light on issues threatening the moral compass of a country and exposing a fundamental loss. This is especially evident in 'A Private Experience" where the unfolding of a violent riot in the north of Nigeria brings together a Christian student and a Muslim mother.

After loss comes grief. Grief is an emotion many characters, if not all, struggle with in this collection. Some losses are more tangible than others, like the unnamed protagonist in " The American Embassy" whose neck is swollen from the death of a child due to the writings of her political-activist journalist husband. Does grief overweigh personal survival? Then there is the Professor in "Ghosts". A survivor of the Biafra War, he sits as the evening breeze wafts down a balmy night, listening out for "the sounds doors opening and closing" and the arrival of ghosts to ease his plight.

The loss of ideals and dreams is also central. In Imitation, Nkem, is a wife living in America without her "Big-Man" husband. She has settled into her life, her children are Americanised, she has weekly pilates class and she knows how to navigate a world much colder than what she is used to. But there is that thing around her neck; imitation of a marriage. Her only friend is a housegirl her husband brought over from Nigeria to help. There is that loneliness that comes with a life where a husband is only a companion for 2 months out of the year and infidelity is expected.

Some time is spent on exploring marriages and romantic relationships. These unions have a lot in common: they are marred with expectations and disappointment, especially from the female perspective.
Ultimately, women are at the heart of this collection. Aside from one male narrator, the stories are about females, all of them strong in their own unique way. And that's the beauty of the collection, hope is never to far behind. You might not agree with what a character decides to do with their neckpiece, but it is always a decision carried by strength of conviction. The story that closes the collection, " The Headstrong Historian" is about a strong woman and her legacy. Her ability to use her neck piece in her favour to see " that the thing that wrapped itself around your neck, that nearly choked you before you feel asleep , started to loosen , to let go."