Afi

Afi Tekple is the protagonist of the novel, which focuses on her arranged marriage with Eli and the growth she experiences because of it. Afi begins the novel as a naïve 21-year-old seamstress, poor and from a small town. Aunty’s suggestion for the arranged marriage offers a change for Afi and Olivia’s lives to dramatically improve, and repay Aunty for finding them a place to live and Olivia a job when they were at their lowest after Illustrious’s death. Despite her own personal doubts about the arranged marriage, Afi ignores those doubts as she is completely motivated by her desire to be of service to her family and Aunty.

Afi’s desire to be of service to Aunty also causes her overwhelming desire to please Eli to try and make him leave Muna. This, likewise, causes her to set aside her own doubts and...