Howling
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C. N. Adichie, "Transition to Glory"
Let’s begin a trip through One Story stories with an oldie, published in 2003. I’ll leap up to the present shortly, after a couple other detours to the past. By the way, last year I published my first note on a One Story piece, here.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Transition to Glory” (One Story 27, September 30, 2003) is a story of an affair (“In her better moods, she liked that word, affair, liked the decadent affectation that clung to it, affair” [7]). It takes place in Nigeria. One party is a radio talk show host called Ozioma; the other is a powerful and wealthy man called Agha. Her name means “Gospel”; his means “War” (11). Ozioma is much younger than Agha, almost as old as the oldest daughter Agha has with Didi, his wife.
The story jumps back and forth from descriptions of the affair to scenes that are set after Agha’s death. Agha dies in a car crash not too long after the affair had begun. One of the most poignant moments in the story is when Ozioma puzzles at a crumpled newspaper …
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Transition to Glory” (One Story 27, September 30, 2003) is a story of an affair (“In her better moods, she liked that word, affair, liked the decadent affectation that clung to it, affair” [7]). It takes place in Nigeria. One party is a radio talk show host called Ozioma; the other is a powerful and wealthy man called Agha. Her name means “Gospel”; his means “War” (11). Ozioma is much younger than Agha, almost as old as the oldest daughter Agha has with Didi, his wife.
The story jumps back and forth from descriptions of the affair to scenes that are set after Agha’s death. Agha dies in a car crash not too long after the affair had begun. One of the most poignant moments in the story is when Ozioma puzzles at a crumpled newspaper …
I really, really liked this tale. Man, that last part where the dog is out on the porch, hurt, is so moving. Very sad. Good tale.
ReplyDeleteI'm absolutely not for treating animals poorly, so that part felt cruel. Blame Mr. Worcester, though. What did you make of the narrator?
ReplyDeleteThe guy that doesn't dare intervene? Gosh, probably someone like me, someone who wears leather even being against animal abuse... Although I would've stopped Mr. Worcester, though; there's something about live cruelty that doesn't admit delays.
ReplyDeleteOh, and "his" dog, that I have never bought.
ReplyDeleteTrue, animal cruelty is terrible stuff. I still have dreadful flashes of a video I saw of how dogs are skinned alive in China to turn them into fur for the lining of coats and other clothing.
ReplyDeleteI guess my question about the narrator goes along these lines: I know it's tempting, but what made you think it was a "guy" who didn't dare intervene? Check out, for instance, the couple of words in italics in the story.
A girl narrator! I had not thought of that possibility... that's really cool. Jeez, I should've noticed the oddity of the remark.
ReplyDeleteSo this woman left her husband for another woman who lived in the neighborhood?
Oh wow, the China dogs story is horrible. Fiction is a good to criticize animal cruelty (and everything else).
The interesting thing, I think, is why you chose the photo to accompany the story.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it look placid enough? One would not want to ruin the main part of the story with a more revealing picture at the start. Right?
ReplyDeleteI think the reason you chose the photo is very revealing: it's a representation of setting. It would be a very different story if this was your front porch:
ReplyDeletehttp://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/02/22/arts/Ouro600.jpg
You're absolutely right: the story would register differently with the porch you mentioned. But I must admit the picture was really an afterthought, chosen ex post facto and in a relative rush. It had to portray a placid suburb, and it couldn't show a dog (as to not ruin the main part of the story). That was the rationale.
ReplyDeleteI came to see your new post and didn't find it :(
ReplyDeleteLove ya.