Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo (2020) 306 pages
Azere is a 25-year-old Nigerian-born woman living in Toronto. When she was 12 and still living in Nigeria, her father extracted a deathbed promise from her that she would marry a Nigerian. Her strong-willed mother is holding her to the promise, setting her up with Nigerian men with whom Azere finds no spark; some are male chauvinists who expect her to give up her career in advertising, which is not acceptable to her. After a particularly bad date, she goes into a hotel lounge and meets Rafael, a white man who is in town to apply for a job in Toronto, where he had lived in the past and wants to return. The chemistry is there, and they have a one-night stand.
They are both shocked a month later, when Raphael is introduced as a new employee at her company. It's awkward because Azere really wants to please her mother by finding a Nigerian man, but she finds herself unable to stop thinking about Raphael. Now she must take a stand one way or another, pitting herself against her mother by choosing to be with Raphael and possibly losing her culture, or by giving up the one man she has a strong connection to.
The story is reminiscent of some novels I've read where Asian-American parents try to choose mates for their adult children, but with a Nigerian backstory, in this case. And some secrets to shake things up.
