Last updated on March 7, 2021
His Only Wife is a novel by Peace Adzo Medie. It is a Ghanaian fairytale, a rags to riches story of Afi. Afi grew up in a small town, Ho. Her father’s death changed the family’s fortunes from middle class to poor in one day. Without savings, the family was at the mercy of Pious, the oldest brother of Afi’s father, until a rich, local entrepreneur, Aunty, rescued them. Afi didn’t quality to go to a public university and did an apprenticeship to become a seamstress instead. She took on sewing jobs for the local women until Aunty’s proposal. Afi’s family became further entwined with Aunty’s, the Gangyos, through her arranged marriage with Eli.
Wedding in Absentia
From the beginning of His Only Wife, we know something is wrong. Eli is missing from his own wedding. It’s not unheard of for men to miss their wedding due to uncontrollable matters such as visa issues and illness but Eli’s excuse is a business trip. This sets the tone for the early days of her marriage as when Afi moves to Accra to be with Eli, she is set up in a beautiful flat. The younger brother, Richard, is the one to introduce her to her new home. She lives in the flat with her mother; her mother has come to Accra with her to bring her to her husband.
Afi’s job is to win Eli’s affections and to attract him back to his family. He already has a woman and child that he lives with but the family does not approve of the relationship. Afi is the bait to get him away from that woman.
It takes weeks before Afi and Eli meet for the first time. They then build a semblance of a life together but there is one disagreement that they keep cycling through. Some men in Ho like her uncle have multiple wives but Afi doesn’t just want a traditional marriage. She doesn’t want to be the first wife, but rather than only wife. She and Eli remain caught up in a struggle over this point, With multiple conflicting interests from Aunty, Afi, Eli and the other characters in the book, who will get a happy ending?
Afi Builds a New Life
In the course of less than three years, Afi builds a new life for herself. She goes from being a country girl to a sophisticated, confident, independent woman. Moving from a small town to Accra is a transformative experience. Her relationship with Eli also allows her to clarify her beliefs and desires. We see her develop into a woman who can explore her own mind and make her own decisions.
Format of the Story
The story is told linearly from Afi’s perspective. While it’s experienced linearly, we find out some historical stories from her conversations with other characters. It is a story of family values, cultural expectation and traditions. We get to learn a bit about family structures in Ghana and traditions.
A parallel understory throughout the book is that of Evelyn, Richard’s girlfriend. The story of Evelyn lets us see the other side of the story and another facet of the Gangyos. It helps us build some empathy for some of the characters in the story.
I found some of the pacing of the book a bit difficult to keep up with. The time frame sometimes seemed a bit off or hurried to me and a hard to believe. While I enjoyed the book, the character development and plot were also incredulous.
Final Verdict of His Only Wife
While set in Ghana, the story reads like some of the Nigerian movies that I’ve seen, the crying, the stomping (figuratively), the drama. Afi is apologetic and unassuming when we first meet her and grows into a confident, independent woman in a relatively short time frame. She takes control of her life and destiny, making the most of the resources available to her. However, her naivete persists through most of the book. She doesn’t see the Gangyos for who and what they are until the very end.
This is not a traditional fairytale. The happily ever after is not the one where the prince and princess rides off into the sunset. Yet, the poor girl blossomed and transformed into a princess.
I recommend this book if you’re looking for an interesting read where you’ll learn a bit about Ghanaian culture. Despite the tears and drama in the story, I was entertained and sometimes annoyed.
I’m choosing not to rate this book as my enjoyment of it is inconsistent with my judgement of the character development and credibility of the story.
Have you read the book and want to read a recap? You can find one in The Ending of His Only Wife.
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