Set during the beginning of the pandemic, we follow four women as they recount significant moments in their lives leading up to this point. The first woman is Chia, who is tracing through her past lovers and subsequent regrets. The second is Chia’s friend, Zikora, who was a successful lawyer until a relationship left her a single mother and broken-hearted. Next is Nafi, Chia’s housekeeper who recounts her life from a rural village in Guinea to fulfilling her dream to come to America. This dream falls apart when she is sexually assaulted whilst working as a maid in an upscale hotel, which becomes a media storm. Finally there is Omelogor who works her way to the top of a bank in Nigeria, participating in the boy’s club and the corruption which leads her to question who she is and what she stands for.
The first section is written from Chia’s perspective. She comes from a wealthy family in Nigeria but lives predominantly in the US and has crafted a career as a freelance travel writer, but appetite for her articles seems almost non-existent. The pandemic has hit, she’s alone and she is sifting through her ex-lovers to see if she made a mistake.
The first was Darnell, an African American professor who she meets at a friend’s birthday party. They were together for three years and she was impressed by him. However, she finds herself constantly falling short and even lying to impress him. Darnell is inconsistent, disappearing for days only to reappear with nonchalance, he also refuses to call Chia his girlfriend or offer her any stability. Chia’s wealth becomes a problem in the relationship, as Darnell criticizes it whilst also accepting the trips and gifts she offers. Chia begins to think she is buying his affection. Chia takes Darnell to her family’s house in Maryland to see the house and meet her housekeeper, Nafi, (he refused to come whilst her parents were visiting). The visit goes badly, he’s in a bad mood, Chia sees some texts which imply he’s seeing other women and he leaves in a taxi the next morning without reason or context. Chia internalizes this as something she is responsible for. When he comes back to meet her friends Zikora and Omelogor, American and Nigerian ideologies clash over religion, class and slavery. Darnell gets a job in Paris and Chia goes with him. The catalyst for their break up is when she orders a mimosa at a fancy French restaurant, which Darnell deems embarrassing.
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