Kim Curry

Dream Count tells the stories of four interconnected African women. Don’t expect much plot, and don’t expect this to really be about their romantic loves. This is a novel about many kinds of love, and about building connection in the world we find ourselves in after the Covid lockdowns. Some of the women’s voices are easier to love than others, but the author’s voice rings through all as clear as a bell. One of her women writes of another character “I felt in reading him that I was learning from a person who wished others well” and that’s how you feel, reading Adiche. She warns us against building up barriers around ourselves: not just conservatives building physical walls, but progressives ‘championing approved causes’ as a way of picking sides and excusing evil towards those on the other side. She also reminds us of the ‘danger of single story’* and how to understand anything, we must not take the word of the press or listen to gossip on the internet, but take the time to hear many stories to build a truer picture. * The danger of a single story, a Ted Talk by Adichie, can be found on YouTube