In Dependence, by Sarah Ladipo Manyika.

In Dependence, by Sarah Ladipo Manyika.  Cassava Republic Press, October 1, 2019.  (First published 2008).

FORTHCOMING.

4 stars.

An excellent novel tells of a Nigerian man going to Oxford just as his nation is declaring independence. The young man, and the woman he loves, live in a constantly changing world and their future is bittersweet.

Sarah Ladipo Manyika was born and raised in Kenya and has lived in Kenya, France, and England.  Her Ph.D. is from the University of California at Berkeley, and she taught at San Francisco State.  The other book she has published is Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun.

In Dependence follows the love story of an ambitious young Nigerian man and the attractive white daughter of an English ambassador he meets in England. Both are bright, brave, and idealistic individuals. Their devotion to each other and their dreams is caught up in the sweeping changes around conception of gender and race. Although each is successful as an individual, neither finds real fulfilment  Ties to country and family compete with their love of each other. The book follows both of them as they build lives for themselves but struggle to find meaning.

Manyika is a fine storyteller.  Despite a large cast of characters, she moves her characters smoothly through a variety of situations.  In the process, she depicts both the personal issues for people seeking to follow their own paths as they move through a time of enormous political and social changes.

I strongly recommend this book to other readers.