Purple Hibiscus

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 'Purple Hibiscus' is a haunting tale of an Africa and an adolescence undergoing tremendous changes. Kambili's life is regulated by her father's violence and religious beliefs, until he sends her and her brother away to their aunt's. There, she discovers love and a life beyond her father's authority, revealing a terrible secret at the heart of her family life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 13 April 2023
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Fifteen-year-old Kambili's world is confined to the high walls of her family compound and the frangipani trees she glimpses from her bedroom window. Her wealthy Catholic father, although generous and well-respected in the community, is strict and fanatically religious at home. Her life is governed by a strict schedule: prayer, sleep, study, and more prayer. She lives in constant fear of his violence, and the words in her textbooks begin to turn into blood in front of her eyes.

When Nigeria begins to unravel under a military coup, Kambili's father, involved in mysterious ways with the unfolding political crisis, sends Kambili and her brother away to their aunt's. The house is bustling with laughter. Here, she discovers love and a life—dangerous and pagan—that transcends the boundaries of her father's authority. The visit will break the silence in her world and, over time, reveal a terrible, bruising secret at the heart of her family life.

This first novel explores the promise of freedom, the blurred lines between the old gods and the new, childhood and adulthood, and love and hatred. An extraordinary debut, "Purple Hibiscus" is a compelling novel that captures both a country and an adolescence at a time of tremendous change.

Weight: 220g
Dimension: 198 x 128 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008610012
Edition number: Collins Modern Classics edition