Efuru is a novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 by Flora Nwapa

Flora Nwapa

Florence Nwanzuruahu Nkiru Nwapa was a Nigerian author best known as Flora Nwapa. Her novel Efuru is among the first English language novels by a woman from Africa....

 which was published in 1966, making it the first book written by a Nigerian woman to be published. The book is about Efuru, an Ibo

Igbo people

Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...

 woman who lives in a small village in colonial

Colonialism

Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...

 West Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

. Throughout the story, Efuru wishes to be a mother, though she is an independent-minded woman and respected for her trading ability.

Plot summary

The story was set in a rural community. Its protagonist, Efuru, is a strong and beautiful woman. She loses her child and has two unhappy marriages. At the end she goes to the lake goddess, Uhamiri, who is like a mirror of herself. Uhamiri gives her worshipers wealth and beauty but few children.".

Characters in "Efuru"

• Efuru – protagonist
• Nwashike Ogene – Efuru's father
• Adizua – Efuru's first husband
• Gilbert – Efuru's second husband
• Njanupu - Adizua's aunt, Efuru's good friend

Major themes

This book is considered a feminist work, though a controversial one, in part due to its depiction of female genital cutting

Female genital cutting

Female genital mutilation , also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the World Health Organization as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons."FGM...

.