Story of a silent war fought in the heart

UDONWA lives with her dysfunctional family, although they have plenty of cred in the village community.

She has always been shown favour by her father, the Reverend Leonard Ilechukwu. He gives her special gifts (one of which has a meaning that will become spinechilling later in the book), and tells everyone she is going to be a doctor one day.

For a 12-year-old there is a sense that comes from a family where the war is not fought with physical weapons, but is a war nonetheless.

Her mother and her siblings know they need to duck when their father is in a mood; that violence will follow. But, like most family violence, it takes place behind closed doors. After all, they are a good, God-fearing family.

Udonwa’s sister Adaora is a nurse and has moved away from the village of Iruama, to Akwa. Udonwa becomes aware that her sister, who is always referred to as “Sister Adaora” marries Uncle Ikemefuna. She takes Udonwa back to Akwa. But all is not well in their household, and Udonwa is faced with more family violence.

Or as the opening lines of the book say: “Let me tell you a story. It’s about a war. This war is not the type fought with guns and machetes. It is a family type. A silent war. The type fought in the heart.”

The novel tells the story of abuse and secrets that have the power to destroy lives.

But, the author of Glass House has turned the unthinkable into something with another layer. It’s also a wonderful coming-of-age story.

Udonwa goes to university, but she chooses to go to Lagos, the big city, and so begins her adult life and a series of relationships.

That none of them is satisfying on many levels drives her true love away from her. Without giving away the plot, Udonwa will find that once you know a terrible secret about yourself, relationships are utterly changed. Knowing where you really come from can be a horror.

Glass House also addresses the African diaspora. Her brother Lincoln lives in South Africa, although he keeps his ties to his home country.

The novel casts a wicked eye on the nightclub and party scene in Lagos, very different to what Udonwa has grown up with, as a way of life in her village.

The author has a wonderful writing style, and brings the places she writes about to life. She also manages to keep a complicated plot about complicated people, complicity and forgiveness in control. A wonderful read, that had me fully invested in the story and the characters, who lingered with me long after I put down the book.