Fromthegloballyacclaimed,best-sellingnovelistandauthorofWeShouldAllBeFeminists,atimelyanddeeplypersonalaccountofthelossofherfather.NotesonGriefisanexquisiteworkofmeditation,remembrance,andhope,writteninthewakeofChimamandaNgoziAdichie’sbelovedfather’sdeathinthesummerof2020.AstheCOVID-19pandemicragedaroundtheworld,andkeptAdichieandherfamilymembersseparatedfromoneanother,herfathersuccumbedunexpectedlytocomplicationsofkidneyfailure.Inthisextendedessay,whichoriginatedinaNewYorkerpiece,Adichieshareshowthislossshookhertohercore.Shewritesaboutbeingoneofthemillionsofpeoplegrievingthisyear;aboutthefamilialandculturaldimensionsofgriefandalsoaboutthelonelinessandangerthatareunavoidableinit.Withsignatureprecisionoflanguage,andglittering,devastatingdetailonthepage--andneverwithouttouchesofrich,honesthumor--Adichieweavestogetherherownexperienceofherfather’sdeathwiththreadsofhislifestory,fromhisremarkablesurvivalduringtheBiafranwar,throughalongcareerasastatisticsprofessor,intothedaysofthepandemicinwhichhe’dstayconnectedwithhischildrenandgrandchildrenovervideochatfromthefamilyhomeinAbba,Nigeria.InthecompactformatofWeShouldAllBeFeministsandDearIjeawele,Adichiedeliversagemofabook--abookthatfundamentallyconnectsustooneanotherasitprobesoneofthemostuniversalhumanexperiences.NotesonGriefisabookforthismoment--aworkreaderswilltreasureandsharenowmorethanever--andyetwillprovedurableandtimeless,anindispensableadditiontoAdichie’scanon.
