This novel was the “something different” I needed to read. In its pages dominate topics as romance, family, society stereotypes, marriage, love, deception. Most importantly though, the author poignantly arises issues about womanhood such as independence, insecurities, opportunities, gender equality and feminism. Through Afi, the author provide us with an empowering example of modern women with strength and determination. I totally loved it.

I read His Only Wife a couple of weeks ago now because I noticed that the audiobook was on Read Now on Netgalley therefore I didn’t need to request it. I had not listened to an audiobook in an extremely long time so it was a pleasurable experience to go back to listening to someone telling me a story using their voice for a couple of hours.

This novel follows Afi Tekple whose life is about to change because she is given an opportunity of a lifetime which is a proposal of marriage to one of the wealthiest families in their small town. Our main character has never met Elikem, Aunty Faustina Ganyo’s son who has helped Afi and her mother Olivia who is a widow. Considering the situation her family is in, she knows that marrying him will help a lot and relief their problems. But there is a problem here: Elikem is in love with another woman whom he lives with and has a child.

His Only Wife reads like a drama tv show that keeps you at the edge of your seat, especially when you listen to the intonation of the narrator. A story about polygamy and how an African woman navigates it, trust issues, cultural and social norms, and manipulation. Even though it touches on these grave topics Peace finds a way to be so serious and so humorous at the same time. This makes the story so effortless and pleasant to read and fascinating at the same time. The writing is show-stopping, and the narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job at showing the emotion the author wanted to be clear in the text she wrote.

Special thanks for suggesting and providing this book @reesebookclub @Netgalley and @peacemedie

"IT TAKES STRENGTH TO WALK AWAY FROM SOMEONE YOU LOVE!"

👰🏽 First of all congratulations to author for debut novel. Your first novel has many elements which I liked such as description of Accra and Ghanaian culture, food, clothes and traditions. Being a woman I could understand the protagonist's mindset you crafted. Her standing tall and strong against all odds is my takeaway from it for sure.

👰🏽So, our lovely protagonist Afi comes from very poor background facing hardships with her mother after her father's death in village Ho in Ghana. Her fortune is about to change as she is set to marry the wealthiest man Elikem Ganyo. But here comes the twist that he already is in relationship and family is hopeful for optimistic change in his life. Afi too is like ticket to her family being powerless & penniless. She has to eventually decide a way for her own happiness. I witnessed lot of patriarchy displayed in it.

👰🏽I personally liked few elements of book showing her education to become fashion designer. From the village when she shifts to capital city Accra. Also that Eli meets her after months!

👰🏽There is at times exaggeration,but there is honesty in storyline. Book is small read and we keep a tab on characters rooting for them like I initially empathised Eli, hated Afi's uncle or adored Evelyn. The audiobook was satisfactory doing justice to the storyline.

His Only Wife Peace Adzo Medie was wild. It’s a story set in Ghana about a woman, Afi, whose life is totally changed when she receives a marriage proposal from a wealthy family. After a wedding that does not feature her husband, she is swept off to Accra for her new life of luxury and independence. What’s the catch? Her husband is tethered to a woman his family disapproves of. Can Afi prove herself as his only wife?
The story is a fascinating take on modern feminism in Ghana. I had to remember that Ghana still has cultural traditions and practices that differ from my experience as a Black woman in America. It was very interesting to see Afi’s character grow and become more herself as the book wore on.
One thing about the characters I was disappointed by was the lack of perspective of the other woman. I almost wish the story was told from the two perspectives, one from Afi, and one from the other woman. I think that would have made the story even more interesting and books with varying points of view are very hot right now.
Another thing that fell short for me about the novel was the narration itself. I’m not sure if it was the audiobook narrator (who I found boring) or the way the story was told. To me, the book almost read as if it was just one long diary entry narrating the events as someone who wasn’t a trained storyteller would. There was a lot of reporting events, but not enough push to make the reader feel something about them.
Overall, I did enjoy the story. I felt invested in Afi’s experience and wanted to know if she could have everything she wanted in her marriage. The family dynamic, on both sides, was colorful and I could see my own family reflected in them at times. As far as romances goes, if you don’t like sappy or cheesy stories, this one is for you, as it leans more toward the dramatic side. 3.5 out of 5 stars for me!

In a small town in Ghana, Afi is offered a marriage proposal from the prominent family of Elikem, who Afi doesn’t really know, but she agrees. But Elikem looked better on paper. He sends a proxy to his own wedding to Afi, and puts her up in an apartment in the city where she lives for weeks before she even meets him. She learns he has a complicated relationship with his ex-girlfriend (and mother to his daughter) who is largely unliked by his family, as she is mentally unstable. Afi settles into her new life with her new husband, but how much is she willing to sacrifice for luxury and status?

Domestic dramas with deep characterization are one of my favorite types of books. I really loved the commentary about cultural norms and gender roles in Ghana, as well as polygamous traditions in modern society. It was a rollercoaster: the ups and downs of their marriage right off the bat, the family dynamics and conflict, the other woman. Afi’s journey from a timid 21 year old seamstress to a woman who finds her independence was emotional and relatable. The juxtaposition of cultural expectations in marriage and how socioeconomic status plays into individual choice was very interesting to me. The ending was satisfying, though a little sudden, I wished more loose ends were tied up a bit more.

Thank you Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the gifted audio copy!

His Only Wife.

I want to start out by saying that I absolutely loved the narrator. She was easy to listen to and understand.
Afi a young seamstress from Ghana who is offered a proposal to wed Eli. The family she would be marrying into is very wealthy and she excepts thinking she could help take care of her widowed mom. The craziest thing happens and Eli Ganyo doesn't show up for his own wedding ceremony., like really? Does this actually happen in real life? Afi has no idea who her husband is. This story takes you through the depths of what you will do for family. Family loyalty is huge and Afi has to decided what path to take. Multi wives, girlfriends on the side are no big deal in their culture but Afi stands strong and fights for Eli to be only hers,
I loved this book , I loved the strong woman characters in it and the passion that Afi shows. I highly recommend this book.

His Only Wife
Peace Adzo Media

Synopsis:
His Only Wife tells the story of Afi, a young
Woman in Ghana. Afi is convinced by her mother to marry a man she doesn’t know and leave her small town life for the big city of Accra. Afi’s rags to riches experience helps her find her voice, continue her education, and even start a business.

Review: I heard about this book because of Reese’s Book Club, and since I typically enjoy her recommendations I thought I would give it a shot. I listened to it on audiobook which isn’t my favorite way to read, so that may have influenced my rating a bit.

Likes: This is the first book I’ve read about Ghana, and it was really interesting to hear about the cultural differences and get a feel for what life in Ghana is like for women. I liked how Afi found her voice and demanded the life she wanted from her husband even though she was young and struggled to stand up to authority. I definitely enjoyed the themes of female empowerment!

Dislikes: I feel like the story moved kind of slowly and I found myself bored at times. The speed at which the story progressed did not keep my attention.

Star Rating: 3

“His Only Wife” is a debut novel written by Peace Adzo Medie, and narrated by a popular voice in audiobooks: Soneela Nankani.

The premise of this #ownvoices story is bananas. As a budding feminist, I cannot get my head around marrying someone I don’t know. Let alone to a man who has another wife who doesn’t show up at my wedding to him. WHAT!?!?

Afi Tekple, a young seamstress, wants more out of life. She is hardworking, beautiful and smart. Her goal is to enroll in fashion school become a boutique owner. But her widowed mother convinces Afi to marry an affluent businessman, Elikem Ganyo, to help their family repay debts. So Afi reluctantly complies.

Suddenly Afi goes from being impoverished (living in a multi-generational family situation) to moving into a glamorous home in a sophisticated city. When she arrives, Afi has access to a driver, gardeners, hot water…anything she can possibly want. But her husband doesn’t come home for three days (near the end of chapter 4!). And then he doesn’t stay. He’s still living with his sickly young child and her mother.

When Eli rings the doorbell, Afi opens it, feeling ALL the emotions. “Should I shake his hand, should I hug him, a kiss on the cheek? Last night I had imagined hugging him but not no greeting seemed right for this almost-stranger who was also my husband.”

Then, after one lunch, Eli goes on business for another two months. What’s a young, newly married girl to do in a big city? She starts finding herself…and finding her voice.

This is a sometimes funny, often-times troubling book. And it’s very empowering to watch Afi brave her new life. She longs to be a modern woman, but must figure out her values as she tries to play the role of a dutiful wife to a stranger.

I found myself rooting for this gutsy heroine as she speaks her truth, and demands respect. The voice of Afi makes this book for easy and enjoyable listening.

Many thanks to Workman Audio who gifted me the audiobook, via NetGalley, in exchange for my review.

✏️ “Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding.”
✏️ “It wasn’t easy being the key to other people’s happiness, their victory, and their vindication.”
~ Peace Adzo Medie, His Only Wife
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Afi Tekple is a young seamstress in Ghana. She is smart; she is pretty; and she has been convinced by her mother to marry a man she does not know. Afi knows who he is, of course—Elikem is a wealthy businessman whose mother has chosen Afi in the hopes that she will distract him from his relationship with a woman his family claims is inappropriate. But Afi is not prepared for the shift her life takes when she is moved from her small hometown of Ho to live in Accra, Ghana’s gleaming capital, a place of wealth and sophistication where she has days of nothing to do but cook meals for a man who may or may not show up to eat them. She has agreed to this marriage in order to give her mother the financial security she desperately needs, and so she must see it through. Or maybe not?
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I was hooked from the first sentence! This was such an engaging, well-written story. The characters were well-developed, and I loved getting to know them. Told from Afi’s POV, we see her develop into her own person who finds her voice by the end of the story instead of the girl who tries to please everyone. I loved learning about the culture and traditions of Ghana and since I listened to the audiobook I was able to learn the pronunciations of the Ghanaian words mentioned. For this reason alone, I would recommend the audiobook. I was taken on a journey I did not want to end. There were some emotional moments but there were also moments of humour. It is a story of family, relationships, marriage, love, and tradition to name a few. Narrated by Soneela Nankani, I enjoyed listening to the story. Although at first I found the narrator’s voice to be a bit flat and robotic in tone, it improved as the story progressed and as I became engrossed in the story. The pacing was good and the narrator was able to give distinctive voices to the characters. I could not stop reading this novel. What a great debut! Would definitely recommend!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook and provide an honest review.

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie is the kind of story I love-a character driven tale of family dysfunction. Afi marries Eli although he doesn’t show up for the wedding. Eli has another woman and Afi has been chosen to marry Eli so that she can get rid of this woman who the family, and especially Eli’s mom don’t like.

His Only Wife is a coming of age story-Afi grows up a lot throughout her marriage. It’s a story of values-modern vs. traditional. It’s a feminist story about independent women.

His Only Wife is set in Africa but it could have been set in the US, or just about anywhere in the world. At its heart, it’s about love and deciding what’s acceptable and what’s not when it comes to love.

I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed the narrator as she read the story. Thank you to #netgalley and #algonquinbooks for the audiobook to listen to in exchange for an honest review of #hisonlywife.

While I did appreciate this story, I think I would have liked it better on paper. I think. I did enjoy learning about another culture and what the experience of the characters was like. But, I found the tone of the narrator really whiny and irritating. It made this not very long book seems really long.

I listened to His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie at the end of October, and I’m just getting around to reviewing it now. My brain has been mush this past week, so formulating coherent sentences has been trying. But, I’ll give it a go. Afi Tekple is in quite the predicament. Her widowed mother has arranged a desirable opportunity for her - a marriage proposal from an extremely wealthy family. But get this...Her fiancé doesn’t show up for the wedding ceremony, AND he’s also in love with another woman! You could say that things are not off to a very good start. I was thoroughly entertained and completely addicted to this story. The way Afi held her own, and reacted to various incidents in her unique situation really impressed me. She gave me Adunni (from The Girl With the Louding Voice) vibes. She’s a strong and courageous character that I will not forget. His Only Wife is a fascinating family drama that explores Ghanaian culture, social issues, and the sacrifices women make in order to please members of their family. 4/5 stars for this wonderful debut! Highly recommend!

His Only Wife relates the journey of Afi, introduced as a poor country girl in modern-day Ghana who dreams of being a seamstress, to her becoming a self-reliant woman who owns her own design business in the capital city of Ghana. This is not a fairy tale, however. Afi’s journey is beset with a lot of difficulties. Afi is being set up to be Eli’s wife and win his affections away from his mistress, who is disliked by his rich and influential family. The book opens with Afi’s wedding but the groom isn’t there - he can’t be bothered to attend, as he is busy with business affairs - so the marriage happens without his actual presence. While the couple does actually fall in love, the existence of the mistress threatens to destroy their marriage. I found Afi to be a believable character, struggling against the patriarchal society in Ghana, but didn’t find her particularly endearing. And I was quite annoyed with Eli. Some of the secondary characters had some fascinating backstories, such as her Accra friend and neighbor Evelyn. The story dragged at times, but I stuck with it to see how it all turned out. I enjoyed learning about Ghanaian culture through this story, with insights into how the very poor live and how the very rich live.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Soneela Nankani, was excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Workman Audio for a chance to listen to this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie is a poignant tale of love, perseverance, and faith. 

This story was eye opening, exposing me to a whole world and culture that I know nothing about. This is a valuable book portraying a very difficult subject foreign to many. Author Peace Adzo Medie is known to be an advocate for women's rights and this story, ultimately, is about just that. But even more, it is about a woman determining her own rights and discovering her own worth and value in a world run by men.

The opening line, “Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding” is gripping and immediately hooks the reader. The protagonist, Afi, is a beautiful woman but of little means and an unpromising future. When she is offered an opportunity to marry a man of status and wealth, for her family, she accepts.

We follow Afi through her experience as a wife wed to a man she doesn't even know, in a culture and world that doesn't truly value her as anything more than a wife with duties to care for her husband and give him a family. Even if that husband is unfaithful and even when, against all odds, she falls in love with him. 

But like most things, their seemingly perfect marriage is not what it seems. When Afi finally finds her voice and stands up for herself, I cheered! I was completely engrossed in her story. This story does so much to develop characters and describe the culture. 

This is a heroic story about a woman learning that she deserves more, she deserves better, she deserves a man who wants her to be his only wife. 

Thank you Netgalley, Workman Audio, and Peace Adzo Medie for this Audiobook for review.

I read this book because it was the Reese's Book Club pick for Oct 2020.

This was a 'growing-up' story for the main character, Afi, who came from a very humble beginning in a small village in Ghana, only to realise that she was being used as a pawn in a rich family's internal politics. She had to lose her innocence fast, leverage the opportunity she was shoved into as best as she could to improve her quality of life.

Was this an important story? Yes. Did it blow my mind? Unfortunately, no. While growing up, I was already too familiar with this kind of story. In fact, this was one of the common horror stories mothers would tell their daughters from a young age (to not fall into the trap of becoming a man's mistress). So I knew where the story would lead from the start.

Having said that, I could see the importance of continuously telling this kind of story to a wider audience. And I could see the appeal of the story to people who grew up in a different culture. What saddened me while reading the book was the fact that the story was still relevant at all in this day and age.

I really liked Afi's journey of finding her own voice and breaking out of people's expectations of her. The only thing I wish she could've done better was on her perception of the 'other woman'. Afi as a character unfortunately still fell into the trap of being pitted against another woman, rather than the 'weak' man at the center of the problem.

I loved the audiobook - the narrator, Soneela Nankani, did a very good job voicing Afi. She also did distinctive voices for the other characters, which really made the experience enjoyable.

I'm personally excited to see more books from Peace Adzo Medie. I really enjoyed her writing style. I wouldn't even mind seeing a sequel to see Afi's further journey in becoming a better person!

A sad but realistic story of love, betrayal, and finding oneself. The narration is emotional and enhances the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in September 2020.

"His Only Wife" by Peace Adzo Medie is a modern drama telling the story of Afi Tekple, a young woman who consents to an arranged marriage with a wealthy man who's already in love with another woman his family disapproves of.
The story is narrated in first person by the protagonist, the titular "Only Wife" and relays Afi's gradual adjustment to all the changes this marriage has brought into her life and her progressive realization of what her new position really means.
This novel has given me mixed feelings. On the one hand, I loved how the author managed to give a new twist to the trite story of the cheating husband by turning the wife herself into the "other woman" (by the time Afi comes into the picture, Elikem has been living with his girlfriend for years and they've already had two daughters together).
On the other hand, I couldn't help but feeling that Afi's heartache is of her own making: even though she was pressured into marrying Elikem, she still went along with it and was fully aware of the situation she was putting herself in, but then acts all surprised and shocked when she gets exactly what she bargained for: a rich husband who won't let her want for anything, except for love.
"He wants to marry me?" she had asked, on receiving her proposal not from the man himself, but from his family. And she'd been answered, "He *will* want to marry you!". Building on such a premise, how can she honestly claim she didn't know what she was getting into? And yet, she annoyingly spends the whole novel complaining about what should have been painfully clear from the start: that Elikem doesn't love her and isn't going to be faithful to her.
I also find it extremely creepy when the protagonist tries to convince her husband that his girlfriend's only surviving daughter should be taken away from her supposedly unfit mother and be brought into Afi and Elikem's house to be raised by the two of them. That sounds like the plot of a whole different drama novel to me, one where Afi stars as the villain, the infamous Wicked Stepmother. Her arrogance when she calls the child - whom she's never even met! - her "stepdaughter" is insufferable!
Anyway, one thing I loved about this novel is the vibrant way the life in a Ghanaian rural village and, later on, in the city of Accra, is depicted. It's clear the author knows what she's writing about, and she can really paint a true-to-life picture of it for the reader. I also appreciate that the narrator of the audiobook has made the effort to learn the correct pronunciation for most of the words and names in ewe (even though some of them end up sounding pretty unrecognizable).
The pacing was a bit slow for my taste--way too much space in the novel is devoted to the protagonist's self-pitying inner dialogue or to pointless gossiping conversations reported word by word, rather than people actually *doing* things.
The ending was disappointing in itself, as it's totally unsurprising and hopelessly anticlimactic.
I think I'd have enjoyed the story much more if it had been Moona's story, rather than Afi's. Moona sounds like a much more interesting, less whiny person.

Afi is a young seamstress whose tough life is suddenly upended by a marriage proposal brought for her by her mother's employer. This wealthy lady wants Afi to marry her son Elikem, who is in love with some Liberian woman, whom the family doesn't approve of, though he even has a child with her and wants to be with her.

While forced into marriage because of her circumstances, Afi soon finds herself drawn to the wealthy and convenient lifestyle. She uses her circumstances to advance in her studies and career but soon decides that she wants it all, that she can't share her husband with another woman.

It is so tough to rate a novel by virtue of its writing alone when you simply didn't like the main character. The first couple of chapters reveal Afi as a vulnerable, uncertain young woman whose life seems to be no longer in her control. But soon, she reveals herself to be quite shallow and self-centred. She seems to judge others for the very things that she is guilty of. I hated her for those double standards and simply couldn't connect with her. Rather than evoking empathy or understanding, she just leaves you frustrated.

His Only Wife is set in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Unlike what you would assume though, the book doesn't reveal the Africa we usually see but the Africa we don't hear about, the life of the wealthy in Africa. There's an abundance of snazzy lifestyles and flashy material possessions. All this cannot mask the familial compulsions or societal pressures. The extent to which relatives can interfere into personal lives seemed to me very reminiscent of Indian society.

There are reviewers who have called the book feminist. But feminism isn't about thinking about your own needs and wanting everyone to kowtow to your demands. Afi isn't a feminist, nor is she a good role model for a greater part of the novel.

Overall, the book starts off brilliantly but soon digresses into a repetitive romantic drama, and finally going into an atypical ending in the very last chapter. So I loved the start and end but hated everything in between.

I heard this as an audiobook and the narrator, Soneela Nankani, did a lot to salvage the book in my eyes. Her enunciation and expressions make it a wonderful audiobook to listen to. If only the story too held up to those standards!

This is the most relatable book I have read about the implications of African polygamous patriarchy on modern women. I chalk this up to the heroine Afi being so believable and inspiring. I loved how this book compared and contrasted the roles that women play in society as wives, mothers, and daughters. Peace Adzo Medie described life in Ghana in a way that was both addictive and informative. The cultural differences in the approach to marriage and family obligations are fascinating. I found myself cheering for all of the women in this book to overcome the obstacles put in their path and manifest their own destinies in the best way possible. I highly recommend the audiobook as the voices and sounds bring the story to life. Listening to Afi tell her story is a rare opportunity to experience the trials and tribulations of a family drama firsthand.

This was a great audiobook! Audiobooks can be hit or miss for me, but this one kept my interest all the way through. It was so interesting to view the world through Afi's eyes. I cannot imagine being in a situation where I had to accept a marriage proposal in hopes of a better life. And then to not even have my new husband show up to the wedding ceremony - I cannot imagine what that would feel like. But Afi is no shrinking violet. I was delightfully surprised to see that she was far from timid and felt comfortable speaking her mind to her new husband, Elikem.
As a reader, I was rooting for Afi the entire way through. It was incredible to watch her make a life for herself and stand her ground against Elikem, even when most everyone in her life was telling her not to do such a thing. While the book didn't necessarily have a "happy" ending, I loved that Afi stayed true to herself through to the end of the book. She is a heroine we can all get behind!