In each of these slice-of-life stories, Nyang pays equal attention to her protagonists’ emotional lives and the decisions they make in the light of their social pressures and economic realities. In doing so, she also challenges patriarchal norms, however her critiques are measured. Take for instance, the matter of laabaan, a Wolof marital rite where proof of a bride’s virginity is presented post-consummation. While some like the scholar Marame Gueye frame the practice in sex positive terms, Nyang believes otherwise and uses her protagonist Sainabou, who questions the ceremony’s necessity, as a vehicle to remonstrate it.
Tag: Mariama Ba
The plot of this novel is driven by deliberate withholding of information. A reader can tell that the narrator is keeping something vital and the desire to find out what is being hidden ensures the pages are continually flipped. Instances like this add to the book’s allure. For instance, later in Esther’s letters to Amina, when things have fallen apart, we gain more clarity, a clarity well-fleshened out in Iyanifa’s perspective.