The Son of the House
First edition (Nigeria)
AuthorCheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onubia
CountryNigeria
LanguageEnglish
GenreLiterary fiction, family saga
PublisherPenguin Random House LLC
Parrésia Publishers
Publication date
2019
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages304
ISBN978-1-4597-4708-1

The Son of the House is a family saga novel written by the Nigerian author Cheluchi Onyemelukwe. Her debut novel, it was first published by Parrésia Publishers (in Nigeria) and Penguin Random House South Africa in 2019.[1][2][3][4]

Plot

The Son of the House is focused mainly on Nwabulu, who was sent out by her step mother to work as a servant. She falls in love with a boy from a wealthy family who impregnates her and then denies the pregnancy. Nwabulu is sent back to the village where she was married to a man whose grandmother is eager to get a grandson.

Meanwhile, there is also an independent teacher named Julie who has fallen in love with a wealthy man married man named Eugene who wants nothing more than a son.

When both women are kidnapped they tell each other their stories and find that they have more in common than they once thought.

Theme

The novel revolves around polygamy, patriarchy in Africa, and the subordinate position which most women are kept in Africa.

Reception

A reviewer at Publishers Weekly described the novel as an "...intimate study of the issues facing contemporary Nigeria..." and that "...her masterly storytelling makes this consistently entertaining."[4] Quill and Quire described it as a "...roller coaster of emotions that Nwabulu experiences with perfectly executed cliffhangers to her chapters."[1] CBC Books acknowledged that the "...debut is set against four decades of vibrant Nigeria, celebrating the resilience of women as they navigate and transform what still remains a man's world."[5] The novel has been compared to Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood.[6]

Awards and recognition

Year Prize Cat Res Link
2019 Sharjah International Book Fair — Won [3]
2020 SprinNG Women Authors Prize — Won [7]
2021 Giller Prize — Shortlisted [8]
Nigeria Prize for Literature — Won [9]

Other

References

  1. 1 2 Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onubia (June 7, 2021). "Review: The Son of the House". Quill and Quire. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. ↑ Ikhide Ikheloa (October 18, 2019). "Book Review | Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia's The Son of the House | Ikhide Ikheloa". Brittle Paper. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Nigeria's Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia Wins At Sharjah International Book Fair". Channels Television. November 11, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Fiction Book Review: The Son of the House by Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia. Dundurn, $18.99 trade paper (304p) | ISBN 978-1-4597-4708-1". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  5. ↑ Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia (January 25, 2021). "Book Review: The Son of the House". Dundurn Press. CBC Radio. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  6. ↑ Uduak-Estelle Akpan (May 2, 2021). "The Son Of The House: Cheluchi Does Impeccable Work Here, While Entertaining, Educating, And Appealing To One's Sense Of Morality – Book Review". OkadaBooks. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  7. ↑ Chukwuebuka Ibeh. "Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onubia wins inaugural SprinNG women authors prize". Brittle Paper.
  8. ↑ Adina Bresge (October 5, 2021). "Two-time runner-up Miriam Toews among authors on Giller Prize shortlist". The Globe and Mail.
  9. ↑ Damiete Braide (October 30, 2021). "BREAKING: Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia wins Nigeria Prize for Literature 2021". The Sun Nigeria Newspaper.
  10. ↑ CBC Books (June 30, 2021). "35 Canadian books to check out in summer 2021". CBC Radio. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Afonja, Be(com)ing Nigerian – The Top Nigerian Books Of 2019". Channels Television. December 31, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2021.


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