This is a beautifully written debut novel set in Ghana. Beginning in the small village of Ho still very immersed in traditions, it is the story of beautiful seamstress Afi Tekple. She marries the wealthy Elikem in a traditional ceremony with his brother as a stand in. She then leaves Ho to move to live in the weathy part of Accra to be near her husband. What follows is a good story about relationships and cultures. The characters are well-written and grow and develop as the book goes on. It is a fast, easy read and on the surface something of a romcom. It is much more serious in reality, and it's depictions of the blending curtures, so different from mine, is fascinating.

I hadn’t heard much about this book but was intrigued by a review that described His Only Wife as “a Crazy Rich Asians for West Africa.” Thanks to Algonquin Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review....and see that His Only Wife was so much more than described!
Afi is a young seamstress, training to be a designer, and she lives in a small town in Ghana with her widowed mother. When her father died, his family made no effort to help support them, but they did benefit from the generosity of Aunty Faustina Ganyo. Ten years later, Aunty Faustina has a proposal Afi and her mother feel pressured to accept. Aunty has a scheme that involves Afi marrying her son, Eli, in an attempt to lure him away from his girlfriend and their daughter.
The book is narrated by Afi and her story is also shaped by her mother, Aunty Faustina (mostly by her all powerful a sense), Mawusi (her friend and cousin), and Evelyn (her brother-in-law’s girlfriend). In addition to an interesting (and often entertaining) story, it was also an opportunity to learn about life in Ghana and how different some aspects of their culture are from ours. While the Ganyo family is very successful and does have a lot of money, His Only Wife is different from Crazy Rich Asians because the reader is also exposed to the lives of the middle or lower class Ghanaians.
One big difference between cultures is the presence of poligamy, or having co-wives as Mawusi describes them. Afi finds herself having to figure out if the reality of this concept really works for her and how much of her society’s traditional beliefs and practices will actually work for her.
The author does a great job of developing the story line and her characters. In a podcast, she said that she wrote the book for Ghanaian women and wanted to make sure the book would be an authentic depiction/storyline for them. Her feedback was that she was successful, but the audience should also be readers worldwide who will find the storylines authentic for them, despite the cultural differences.

The addictive melodrama of a soap opera masks incisive commentary on contemporary Ghanaian life in this hugely readable debut. Full review posted at BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr266112

"Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding." When a book starts like that, you have to keep going until the very end. How can the groom not show up for the wedding? I had never heard of anything like that before. In Ghana, Afi is ready to marry Eli. His family is not happy with him because he is with a woman they do not approve of and he has gotten her pregnant. Afi waits nearly two months before she even sees her husband for the first time. Their marriage is not what she expected and she puts her foot down about it. But, in Africa, that is not how wives are supposed to act. Will her actions make her husband draw closer to her or further away?

Thank to Algonquin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book hooked me from the opening line. How the hell are you not going to go to your own wedding and then wait months to see your wife? I know I could never agree to something like that. I would have felt as if I was left at the altar. Then he has a whole other woman that he and his family promises will be going away, but will she ever?

One thing I can say about Afi is that she didn't wait around for her husband every day. She went out and did something with her life. Even though she didn't have to work and she could have sat around the house all day watching soap operas, she chose to do more. She went to fashion school to improve her sewing skills. She had a house built for her mother and opened her own boutique. Even though she was pulled in different directions concerning her marriage, she still went her own way and did what she thought was best for her and her life.

I could barely put HIS ONLY WIFE by Peace Adzo Medie down once I started it, I truly inhaled this story! 👀 It’s been on my radar ever since Wayétu Moore recommended it on her book tour.
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We are following Afi, a young seamstress in Ghana, whose marriage (sans her now-husband!) opens the book. Yes, you read that correctly! 🙃 She moves from her hometown of Ho to live in Accra, and adjusts to life in the city for the most part without having met her husband. Her marriage has brought her family a much-awaited sense of financial security, but the personal cost to Afi is so much. She waits in a house and prepares meals for a man that she doesn’t even know will turn up at the end of a day. For example, there are scenes where other characters ask her to be home on a given day, and when she asks what time, is given a surprised response—the assumption being that she will just be around and waiting with nothing of her own to be doing otherwise. Ultimately she also contends with the fact that she is not the only woman with affections, and a claim of sorts, on her husband. But Afi has a burgeoning career in the fashion industry, and an entrepreneurial venture that she builds amidst all this.
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I really loved the way her character is developed in this narrative—Afi grows from being so timid and unsure, her early dialogue hesitant and full of trepidation, to really coming into her own in an empowering full-circle journey. The audiobook narrator captures this shift particularly well and the tone of her dialogue was superbly narrated to reflect this move in the prose itself.
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I highly recommend checking out this debut, it is a fast paced story and Afi is a character you’ll be rooting for almost immediately! Many thanks to @algonquinbooks for sending this one my way to review.

His Only Wife is a brilliantly written quick read that packs a punch! It has family drama, a controlling Mother-In-Law, manipulation, lies, polygamy, and trust issues. It was captivating and had me laughing one minute and infuriated the next.

Would you marry a man who sends a stand in to his own wedding? You may think that’s an easy question to answer, but sometimes it’s a little more complicated. His Only Wife was a perfect glimpse into one of those more complex scenarios.

In Ho, Ghana, Afi’s father dies when she’s young and the only person willing to help her newly widowed mother, Olivia, is “Aunty” Faustina Ganyo. Fast Forward to when Afi is 21, Aunty, as everyone calls her, comes to Afi and Oliva with a proposal of an arranged marriage between Afi and her son Elikem. Eli is living with a Liberian woman who the family highly disapproves of, and needs Afi to win him over and help send the woman packing.

This story was simply amazing! I loved the writing and the story arc, the characters are well developed, and I felt the pacing was perfect. I love learning about other cultures, which is one reason I love to read. Peace Adzo Medie taught me so much about Ghanian culture, both traditional and contemporary, the strength and struggles of the women and the sacrifices they make, as well the consequences of their choices. She had me so vividly seeing the sights, smelling the scents, and hearing the sounds of Ho and Accra. I loved learning so much Ghanaian terminology. I’m also excited to try some of the traditional dishes mentioned in the story.

I don’t want to say too much about the story because I want people to go into this book knowing as little as possible. However, I do want to touch on some of the characters I loved. I loved Afi. She was both naive and smart. Strong yet vulnerable. I think she's very relatable and I loved watching her growth throughout the story. Her cousin, Mawusi, always had her back. Then there's Evelyn. Intelligent, go-getter, independent, says what's on her mind, and to add something important a friend on Bookstagram (@Vicireads) said, "She put herself first and made her own safety nets."

The only thing that didn't work for me was a couple far fetched parts, but I was okay with it since it wasn't the main focus of the story. There was a part of the story that was focused on twice, that never came to fruition, but I just let myself fill in the blanks and maybe that's how it was intended to be.

I highly recommend reading this one if you enjoy learning about other cultures, enjoy contemporary women's lit, and/or family drama.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books for my review copy!

This is a story about a woman’s growth. The story of Afi, who’s arranged marriage was the plot of a mother angry that a son had chosen a woman she did not like, to love. Afi was young and poor, without many choices trying to design clothes when she was told she would marry Eli. He wasn’t even at the wedding. He was a mystery for two months. When she came to know and love this man she believed that he would leave the other woman, that he would choose her. This book is Afi’s journey to finding herself, while falling in love with a man she didn't know if she could ever fully have.

The first half of this book while well written was grating. I was upset with the entire situation. Mostly because looking from the outside I saw a woman struggling, unable to speak up for herself, drowning in a situation she had no control over her. But I loved seeing her come into her own, stand up for herself and make her own decisions, regardless of the problems it caused. I was proud of and happy for her by the end.

Medie did a beautiful job crafting this model. Told in first person by Afi, readers get a true look at her circumstances, how they change, how she evolves and how this ending was the only one acceptable for Afi. The character development was extremely well done with each character fully fleshed out, with the only mystery being the man Alfi loved.

Thank you to Algonquin for an advanced complimentary copy and a beautiful finished copy! And for including me on the book tour! I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

His Only Wife
By: Peace Adzo Medie


REVIEW ☆☆☆☆☆

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie totally took me by surprise. The synopsis doesn't sound like my usual reads, but I took a chance on this book anyway. Thank goodness! Afi is a poor seamstress living in Ghana with her mother, depending upon the charity of others to survive. But, Afi has the opportunity to marry Eli, a successful businessman in Accra. It's not a choice at all for Afi. She must marry Eli for the good of her family. He sends a stand in to their wedding (seriously!).

Afi is nicely kept in her own place in Accra with an absent husband. He is in love with another woman whom he lives with and has a child. Afi is supposed to woo him away from this other woman because Eli's family dislike her. Poor Afi! The hopes and dreams of so many weigh her down and by no choice of her own. This story is great in that it addresses the expectations placed on women everywhere. Women are not free in their choices because it's always what society expects versus any personal aspirations.

Afi sacrificed herself in body, spirit, dreams, goals, i.e. everything. Would you do that? Afi shouldn't have been placed in that situation at all. There are numerous customs, traditions, etc. of other cultures that I will never understand. The plight of women, however, is universal. This book is informative, sharp, humorous and saddening with a heroine to cheer on. Afi is one of my favorite characters ever, and I wish she had a sequel! Well done Peace Adzo Medie! Read this book!

Afi lives in a small town in Ghana. Her and her mother have lived in poverty for a while, depending on the help of her extended family especially Aunty, who is a major money maker in their town. Aunty wants Afi to wed her son Eli, but of course there's a catch, Afi is to wed Eli because he's in love with another woman his family doesn't approve of (shocking). Afi's job here...to try and make Eli fall in love with her, but he's not cracking so easily; he's standing his ground. This book started off with a bang. Afi was a firecracker with good intentions in her heart. She basically sits around trying to adapt to her rather new and lavish lifestyle. All while waiting for her new "husband" to come and at least meet her you know? She's done all she can to make her marriage work, especially since she actuations;lly starts to fall in love with Eli. So will Afi finally get to conquer Eli's heart and live happily ever after?

I enjoyed this book a lot. I love reading books set in other countries, it really gives you an inside look at how things normally are for them; refreshing to see. Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin for providing me with a physical copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

His Only Wife takes place in Ghana, where a young woman named Afi is married off to a wealthy man. The son of a prominent family, Elikem does not come to their wedding. He has a girlfriend that his family disapproves of, and they want Afi to make her new husband see sense and leave her.

I love that this is an Own Voices read taking place in Ghana. The book shows an interesting mix of traditional and progressive values. Much of the social structure is dominated by men, by husbands, fathers and uncles. The role of a wife is portrayed very traditionally, but there are also many strong female characters.

Even though the whole premise is a competition between women, I would actually call this a feminist book. We meet many female characters who start and run their own businesses, and the character with the most power in their lives is Eli’s mother. Afi’s story is about coming into her own, starting to make her own decisions and stand up for what she wants. I liked the way everything concluded and how Afi’s character grew.

It was maybe a little melodramatic for my taste, but overall, I enjoyed the ride. It is an interesting look at women’s lives and relationships in Ghana. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and will look out for more from Peace Adzo Medie in the future.

At the beginning of His Only Wife, Afi leaves her village in Ghana, and moves to an upscale apartment in the capital… after an arranged marriage and a wedding by proxy. Her new home is just one of her new husband’s many luxury properties, and not the place where he actually lives. She’s constantly reminded by her mother and mother-in-law that her purpose is to pull her new husband away from his unsuitable girlfriend, using home cooking and seduction.

Almost every aspect of Ghanaian life was new to me, but that was part of what pulled me into this story. There’s such a wild contrast between Eli and his family, with an almost ridiculous level of wealth and waste, and the village where Afi grew up, sharing a room with her mother, aunt, and cousins. Both were equally foreign to me. Almost immediately after the wedding, Eli sends Afi to design school, in one of his many cars, with an on-call driver, promises her a boutique after she graduates and starts her own fashion line, and constantly gives her presents of cash. But, there’s still his other woman.

The other part that drew me in was Afi herself, a wonderfully complex and evolving character. You really see her develop and change over the course of the story.

I spent most of His Only Wife wondering how it could possibly resolve. At times, Afi and Eli seemed completely in love, and his other woman seemed like just the inconvenient mother of his first child. But at other times, I worried that Afi was being manipulated and used by her in-laws, especially her mother-in-law, who seemed to think that their wealth gave them complete power over a village girl.

Can you imagine a stand in for your husband on your wedding day because he too busy with business trips to marry you himself?! Can you imagine going through with it for the sake of your family, and the prosperity your marriage will bring to them?! Are you mad yet?! I have to say, this novel is a great read, the writing is well done and the characters are well developed. The more I read, the more I reflect on the choices women are given how it impacts us, how we carry burdens that shouldn't be ours but people make excuses for tradition.

Afi is young, beautiful, and naive. When chosen to marry Eli , she at first is reluctant to be in an arranged marriage. She goes along with it and in the process grows immensely and truly finds her voice.

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie, is a book centred around a Ghanian woman and her community. This book is a work of fiction and will interest you from the first line. The story is unique and will make you fall in love with the writing.

Eli married Afi in absent. Afi is thrown into new surroundings, new relationships after marriage. Though, passioned towards fashion designing. She doesn't have enough studies to nurture her passion. Eli is a gentleman in love with two women. Afi doesn't want to share her husband. Want happens to their relationship? Does their marriage survive? Did love prevail?

The story matured along with the protagonists. The women in the community were so adamant and unique with their age. We could see the different set of minds - Afi's mother didn't bother to get her married to a man who was in love with other women. Eli's mother was so adamant and got him married to Afi. These choices made their life miserable.

We get to know profoundly about the Ghanaian people in this book. Afi is courageous, ambitious, and loves people. She wants their love back in return. You can understand the women's struggle in her marriage, her emotions, what she wants to become rather than whom she has to be? A realistic fiction which should be read by all.

The book will interest you if you like books centred around strong-willed women both in personal and career life. Can you believe that this is a debut book and a beautiful one in that?
If you like the book, "Kim Ji-young, Born 1982" you will also like this book.
Thanks, Algonquin books for the e-arc!

Afi and her mother struggle a bit after the death of Afi's father. They rely on the kindness of several people in their community, including Afi's uncle, and the community's benevolent 'Aunty.' So when Aunty comes to Afi's mother to suggest an arranged marriage between her son and Afi, Afi's mother really can't refuse. As Afi understands it, she's been chosen by the rest of the family to be Eli's only wife. Eli is supposedly in love with another woman, but she is said to be ugly, rude, and a bad mother. Afi is sent in to woo Eli away from the evil seductress.

Overnight, Afi finds herself, a small-town country girl, trying to fit in with the sophisticated friends of her sister-in-law in Accra. At first she sees many of them as vulgar and larger than life, but soon she begins coming in to her own voice, and recognizing what she wants from her life.

I loved Afi. Her emotions felt relatable to me, although I've never been anywhere close to Ghana or an arranged marriage. Her determination, her nervousness, her love, her rage, and her resolve were all so real and understandable. Overall, I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy womens' fiction.

HIS ONLY WIFE is a fascinating look at contemporary Ghana, a young woman trying to find her own voice amongst an overbearing family, and first heartbreak (on a truly epic level). Afi is forced into an arranged marriage with Eli, a wealthy man who lives in the adjoining city of Afi's village. Only one catch -- he already has a girlfriend and a daughter who live with him, and he doesn't even come to the wedding. This shocking development starts the book with a bang, and it only escalates from there. As Afi begins to spend time with him (as few and far between as it is) in the flat that he put her in, she starts to fall for him and eventually becomes pregnant.

Your heart will break for Afi who gets jerked around by Eli and his family, and by her overbearing mother who offers no sympathy for the strange situation she has put her daughter in. I loved learning about Ghana though, and being immersed in the culture. It's a simple story, but with compelling characters and an explosive ending that makes the ride all worth it. Peace Adzo Medie is definitely an author to keep your eye on, especially with fascinating hooks like this one.

A story of a young woman who enters into an arranged marriage, organized by their families - his who want to break him up with his current girlfriend and mother of his child ; her mother who trying to please everyone around her and meet family obligations - including to his mother who she owes a debt of gratitude.

I loved how Afi came into her own through the course of this novel . She found her own voice, spoke up for what she wanted in life and also empowered her mother.

The family dynamics were quite interesting and totally believable, and sometimes cringe worthy but often entertaining.

For me, the story telling could have been a bit better - the story is told in first person and in parts can read a bit like a list of things that happened.

But overall I really enjoyed this story and insights into the culture

Book rating : 3.5 ⭐️
Cover rating : 4 🌟


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had so many emotions upon reading this book! The novel is set in modern-day Ghana, yet the story touches upon some outdated practices that have been passed down through generations. Afi is thrust into a situation where she is forced to make choices that will benefit her and her family, but ultimately come at a cost. While I didn't always agree with Afi and the decisions she made, I found myself rooting for her as she navigated the unusual circumstance she found herself in. Peace Medie has written a character that is both relatable and endearing, and I enjoyed watching Afi's progression throughout the book. Overall, this was an enjoyable, entertaining read, and while the novel did stall and fall flat in certain places, I would still recommend to fans of books such as Stay With Me.

His only wife is a beautiful story of one’s woman’s journey to discover herself and her own freedom.

The book follows a Ghanian woman, Afi, who is trying to find her purpose amidst all the expectations and drama around her.

Afi, the main character has very little, she is poor, fatherless, and scraping by. When she is arranged to marry a wealthy businessman, Eli, she accepts that he is in love with another woman, but realizes that this is the only prospect she has to create a new life for herself.

This book was a roller coaster of emotions and I couldn't put it down. While I didn’t understand Afi’s choices I realized that her choices were her only option at times. The characters, the writing, the style, were all flawless.

I loved this book.

Can you imagine marrying someone in absentia and not just that, the person you are marrying is someone you've never spoken to and the person has a partner with a child already?!

Y'all, this book was such an interesting read. Starting with the writing style, this book will pull you in and hold you down with the ease of it. I found myself just eager to know what will happen next and I just kept on swiping and oohing and ahhing while reading.

The characters are the kind of characters who will always come to your mind long time after reading. You will wonder about them and how they are. They are memorable, they make annoying decisions, are complex while being compelling. The actions & relationships in this book are fueled with patriarchy. Oh, patriarchy had such an awesome time in this book. It went from babying the men, to making marriage the ultimate goal & African mommies and aunties teaching "How To Make The Man Stay" Vol. 01, to placing male child as the better child/gender, family determining who their child needs to marry, to women being slut-shamed, to independent women & women not easily manipulated being seen as arrogant, ugly and unmarriageable. Patriarchy was practically dancing and whining its waist throughout the course of the book.

If you are heading into this book with the hopes of falling in love with a character, I will advise that you dead that hope right now😂 the characters will irritate you with their actions and decisions and the men in this book are spineless. However, I liked Evelyn, one of the characters more than any of the characters. This is because she gave some advice I would in fact give to Afi, the protagonist, if I was a character in the book. Moreso, Evelyn was wise and living her "baby girl" life while not giving two fucks.

The only thing I would add to the book is more conflict and angst between Afi, the protagonist and Eli with probably another man. I was seriously rooting for Abe but oh, well. I probably would have enjoyed more of Muna too.

Overall, I believe this is a fantastic debut and I would definitely read more from Peace Adzo Medie. Also, if you enjoyed The Secret Lives Of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin & Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo, I don't know what you are still waiting for. Get this book! You'll love it.

Last thing, this will be a fantastic book club read. It would be fun hearing people's opinions.