Zikora: A Short Story Summary
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Zikora: A Short Story Overview

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's short story, Zikora, when first-person narrator Zikora tells her longtime partner, Kwame, she is pregnant, he walks out on her. Though she has decided to raise the baby on her own, Zikora is plagued by loneliness and despair throughout her pregnancy. Then, while giving birth, Zikora's mother's austere presence in the delivery room only succeeds in amplifying Zikora's physical and emotional distress. In an attempt to rationalize her circumstances, Zikora retreats into the past. The narrative explores themes of identity, memory, and loneliness.