Summary

The novel opens in Ojoto, Nigeria in the 1960s. The narrator and protagonist is a girl named Ijeoma. The Nigerian Civil War begins in 1967. Ijeoma lives with her mother and father. Ijeoma’s father, Uzo, worries deeply about the war and its destruction. His worry proceeds to wear down his nerves and general sense of stability. In Chapter 2, Ijeoma’s narration describes her family’s religious faith. They are Christian and attend church regularly. Ijeoma prays that the destruction of the war will never reach her family. However, one day, bomber planes fly over Ojoto. Ijeoma and her mother, Adaora, hide in a nearby bunker, but Ijeoma’s father does not follow them. In Chapter 3, Ijeoma and her mother exit the bunker to view the destruction wrought by the bombs. Ijeoma recalls learning about the war in school but not fully understanding it or...