Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Returns to Fiction with Dream Count, Reflecting on Life, Loss, and Womanhood
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the acclaimed Nigerian-American writer and feminist, is back with her latest novel, Dream Count, after a decade-long break from fiction. Meeting her at her home near Baltimore, she appears deeply immersed in both her literary and personal worlds. As she emerges from a photoshoot, her home is filled with the warmth of family—her nine-year-old daughter focused on homework and her twin 10-month-old sons playing under the watchful eye of their nanny.
Adichie has always been protective of her personal life, managing to keep her marriage to Dr. Ivara Esege and the birth of her children largely private. This instinct for discretion extends to her approach to fame in Nigeria, where she was once jokingly ranked as the seventh most famous person in the country. Yet, her latest novel reveals deeply personal themes, touching on motherhood, loss, and the complexities of a woman’s life.
Dream Count explores the lives of four women, weaving themes of migration, identity, and societal expectations. Like Americanah, it is set between the U.S. and Nigeria, examining the tensions between Africans and African Americans, as well as the pressures placed on women to marry and bear children. The book’s protagonist, Chiamaka, faces these challenges, including the reality of aging fertility and the constraints of womanhood.
Adichie’s struggles with writer’s block after becoming a mother shaped her creative journey. The death of her father in 2020 and her mother’s unexpected passing in 2021 forced a period of introspection, leading to the realization that Dream Count was, at its core, about her mother. Writing, she explains, is when she feels most alive, describing the creative process as an exhilarating high.
Beyond fiction, Adichie remains a bold voice on cultural and political matters. She has faced controversy over her stance on gender identity, with critics accusing her of transphobia after a 2017 interview. The backlash led to professional setbacks, but she remains steadfast in her belief in open dialogue, decrying cancel culture as stifling and destructive.
On politics, Adichie expresses deep concern for democracy, particularly in America, where she observes a troubling trend of people discarding integrity for political loyalty. Yet, she maintains hope for a better world, envisioning a society where leadership prioritizes well-being over greed.
With Dream Count set for release on March 4, Adichie is stepping back into the literary spotlight, embracing both the joy and anxiety of sharing her work. The novel, deeply personal yet universally resonant, marks the return of one of the most influential voices of contemporary literature.
