Idu

’What we are all praying for is children. What else do we want if we have children?’

These two sentences from Idu contain the basic theme of this novel set in a rural Nigerian community where the life of the individual is woven into that of the community as a whole.

Idu, the protagonist, faces the challenge of infertility, leading her husband Adiewere to take a second wife. Eventually, Idu gives birth to a son named Ijoma, but it takes four years before she becomes pregnant again. However, tragedy strikes as Adiewere mysteriously dies before the arrival of their second child. Defying societal norms, Idu rejects the idea of marrying her husband’s brother and instead chooses to join her husband in the afterlife, showcasing that children alone do not define her ultimate desires in life.

Idu stands as a testament to Nwapa’s commitment to portraying the lives and struggles of African women in the face of societal pressures.