Just… wow. Another feminist masterpiece.

To say I was immediately shocked by the last sentence of the first paragraph is an understatement, but it perfectly sets up the world for us. The writing itself is damning, exposing the idiocy of political policy and sexist, patriarchal mindsets in our own societies. It shouldn’t feel as shocking to read the twist on our current experiences as it does, but Adichie, naturally, does it absolutely masterfully. The writing is crisp, the characters and their experiences feel real, and the intricacies and subtle behaviors exhibited by the characters only further the depth of the imagined matriarchy. I’m astonished. For such a short story, I’m so impressed by Adichie's worldbuilding and the eager demonstration of how a world so absolutist in its divide between men and women is dangerous and cruel regardless of who is in charge. It’s difficult to read at times, purely because it is so precise in its execution of how women are treated today, being sexualised but not taken seriously or condemned if they are too sexual, being forced to think of marriage as the be-all, end-all expectation for success, and the accompanying illusion of “choice”. This story is one, though it may make you uncomfortable—even because of that—everyone should read.