About this book
(blurb from Exclusive Books)
A publishing event ten years in the making—a searing, exquisite new novel by the best-selling and award-winning author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists—the story of four women and their loves, longings, and desires.
Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until — betrayed and brokenhearted — she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America – but faces an unthinkable hardship that threatens all she has worked to achieve.
In Dream Count, Adichie trains her fierce eye on these women in a sparkling, transcendent novel that takes up the very nature of love itself. Is true happiness ever attainable or is it just a fleeting state? And how honest must we be with ourselves in order to love, and to be loved? A trenchant reflection on the choices we make and those made for us, on daughters and mothers, on our interconnected world, Dream Count pulses with emotional urgency and poignant, unflinching observations on the human heart, in language that soars with beauty and power. It confirms Adichie’s status as one of the most exciting and dynamic writers on the literary landscape.
CONTRIBUTORS: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
EAN: 9780008685744
PAGES: 416
PUBLISHED BY: HarperCollins UK
Dream Count features on this month’s #EBRecommends list, and it also their Book of The Month! Exclusive Books Recommends March 2025
My Thoughts
My Thoughts“They were ironic about liking what they liked for fear of liking what they were not supposed to like. And they were unable to fear admiration and so criticized people they could simply have admired.”
Reading Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was an unforgettable experience for me, as it was my first time delving into her work. The story follows four African women, each navigating their own unique challenges in life. At the heart of the novel is Chiamaka, a wealthy Nigerian travel writer. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she reflects on her past loves and grapples with her identity and sense of belonging. Her introspection forms the connective tissue for the other women’s stories: Zikora, a successful lawyer abandoned by her partner after a pregnancy scare; Kadiatou, a housemaid and refugee dealing with profound trauma and injustice; and Omelegor, Chiamaka’s cousin, an outspoken and fiercely ambitious woman seeking meaning beyond societal norms.
“Why do we remember what we remember? Which reels from our past assert their vivid selves and which remain dim, just out of reach? I remembered some fleeting encounters so clearly that I wondered if the remembering itself was significant.”
Each of these women left a lasting impression on me. Kadiatou’s storyline, in particular, broke my heart. The injustice she faces after being assaulted by a powerful man left me furious and deeply moved. Her story shed a harsh light on the societal and systemic failures that perpetuate such abuses. On the other hand, I found Omelegor’s chapters empowering and refreshing. Her confidence and defiance of societal expectations were both inspiring and thought-provoking.
One of the novel’s major themes is power—who has it, who doesn’t, and what it takes to claim it. Through the lives of Chiamaka, Zikora, Kadiatou, and Omelegor, Adichie explores how African and African American women navigate the constraints imposed on them by society, patriarchy, and systemic racism. I found her insights into these dynamics incredibly compelling, especially the way she contrasts the African experience with the African American one. The novel also examines love in all its forms—romantic, familial, and self-love—and how it intertwines with power, sacrifice, and societal expectations.
“If our daughters don’t know how beautiful they are, just as they are, then surely we have failed.”
What truly worked for me was Adichie’s masterful prose. Her writing feels intimate and lyrical, with observations so sharp they almost feel like revelations. I felt as though I were sitting in the same room as these women, experiencing their struggles, hopes, and triumphs alongside them. The way the chapters weave their stories together added depth and interconnectedness, and I found myself fully invested in each character’s journey.
“When my mother died, too soon after my father, my life’s cover was ripped off, leaving behind an unmoored sense of nakedness, a straining and longing to take back time, a desperate addiction to looking away, a terror of acknowledgement, a fear of finality, and, most of all, ceaseless sadness and anger, each sometimes emerging wrapped in the other.”
That said, the book isn’t without its flaws. At times, I felt the narrative became disjointed, with Kadiatou’s story in particular standing out as if it could have been a novel on its own. I also struggled with the recurring theme of the women’s lives revolving around their relationships with men. While Adichie does interrogate the sacrifices women make for love, I couldn’t help but wish for arcs where the women claimed more agency and freedom from these cycles of dissatisfaction. Additionally, the inclusion of a character based on a real-life tragedy gave me pause, as it felt ethically ambiguous in the context of the story.
“The point of art is to look at our world and be moved by it, and then to engage in a series of attempts at clearly seeing that world, interpreting it, questioning it. In all these forms of engagement, a kind of purity of purpose must prevail. It cannot be a gimmick, it must at some level be true. Only then can we reach reflection, illumination, and finally, hopefully, epiphany.”
For readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven novels that tackle complex social issues, Dream Count offers an enriching and thought-provoking experience. It’s a book that calls for slow reading, giving you time to absorb its layers of meaning. However, I’d add a trigger warning here—this novel includes vivid depictions of trauma and gender-based violence, which may be distressing for some.
In conclusion, Dream Count is a deeply emotional and intellectually engaging novel that lingers long after the last page. While it may not be perfect, its raw honesty and luminous writing make it a work to be reckoned with. As my first encounter with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s work, it has left me eager to explore more of her stories and the worlds she so beautifully brings to life.
“They know irony and hyperbole and sass, but self-love is strange to them.”
Thank you to Exclusive Books for the chance to read this book! Dream Count is also EB’s “Book of the Month” and features on the #EBRecommends list for March 2025.
About the Author
Home – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
@roelia_reads What a wonderful way to start the week Straight from @Exclusive Books #EBRecommends list for March, two of the hottest new books on the bookshelves: Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (A perfect bookclub pick!) published by @Jonathan Ball Publishers @HarperCollinsUK The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (Currently on EB’s Top 10 Bestseller list) published by @Penguin Random House SA I am super excited to start reading these books! Welcome to my March Reading List! #roeliareads #bookreviewer #bookblogger #alwaysreading #chimamandangoziadichie #melrobbins ♬ An instrument that feels the end of a cold place(943687) – Single Cirquit
