Amber Medland's debut novel is Wild Pets. In the novel, the author writes in the Guardian:Iris – a depressed writer studying in New York – is in two transatlantic relationships, one with her boyfriend, Ezra, who is touring with his band, and one with her best friend, Nance. They email, WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime, share Spotify playlists, etc. Technology promises a sense of togetherness, but it cannot appease our hunger for physical closeness.At the Guardian Medland recommended ten books about long-distance relationships, including:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieRead about the other entries on the list.
A study of how plotlines in love stories can break apart and then converge. Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love at high school in Lagos.She goes to the US to study. Obinze tries to follow her, but post 9/11 he cannot get a visa, and slips into undocumented life in London. They both face a matrix of different, racially loaded challenges. Their bond is close and this book shows how hard it is for young people to grow at the same pace in the face of so much change. When something happens to Ifemelu that she cannot bear to share with Obinze – he doesn’t need to know – she stops taking his calls.
Americanah is among Lupita Nyong’o’s ten favorite books, Yara Rodrigues Fowler's ten favorite tales told in multiple languages, Greta Gerwig's ten favorite books, and Nada Awar Jarrar's ten favorite books about exile.
--Marshal Zeringue
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