The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

There was a long interview with Adichie, partly about this book, on the BBC yesterday which is available on iPlayer.

It’s published today so my copy is waiting at home.

Getting great reviews.

a friend just shared a recent interview with the author—about events in her life before & during writing this & now + some insight into her drive to write this book—as I’m still not sure if I’ll get / read this book yet…

https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

The reviews are tremendous for this on both side of the pond. The New York Times had a huge story on it yesterday. It is paywalled but I am happy to send it to anyone who would like to read it. I have a proof copy that I am trying to make time for in the next week or so.

Yes please.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/bo...

Thanks!!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as narrator of the audiobook is so good, very soothing and poised, a real treat to listen to!

A very interesting read, still hard for me to grasp why she’s getting the spotlight — https://www.vulture.com/article/chima...

Really looking forward to this novel - but I just need to get the International Booker done first.

Started it. Super uncomfortable read so far, but in some good ways.

Uncomfortable in what sense? I just listened to the long first chapter and realize that I have missed Chimamanda

I was really excited to read Dream Count, so I started right away. It is very well written, and quite enjoyable so far - yet it seems a bit... shallow? I've read two of the four perspectives, so the impression might shift.

for now: I am baffled by the men these women chose. Most of them are arseholes, and I have no idea what attracted the protagonist to them in the first place. Yet somehow, this is not about choosing the wrong man, but about how all men are somehow the wrong man. It also seems reductive to see their lives only through the lense of their lost "loves" (dreams).

So - I am far more conflicted than I thought I would be. I do prefer the books set in Nigeria, and I remember having a few of the same criticisms with Americanah. looking forward to the discussion here!

Ruben wrote: "Uncomfortable in what sense? I just listened to the long first chapter and realize that I have missed Chimamanda"

Ruben, I will try to articulate what I mean more clearly soon. I am referring to the intersections of class privilege, race privilege, gender privilege represented by the characters. It's challenging. It's good challenging, I think, but am also still trying to sort through my own reaction to various characters and situations, vs. the intended message. I'm still in the first, Chia section so I'm sure my thoughts will evolve.

I guess I was just trying to convey that so far I am finding this book challenging, but in a good way.

I have heard rumors that there are people who are boycotting the entire longlist because Dream Count is on it and that there are some WP sponsors that are also unhappy about Adichie's novel being on the longlist. Anyone else hearing this? Thoughts?

I am not sure how productive a discussion we will have to be honest - i have my own strong views but not ones I would want to share here as I know others feel strongly differently and I respect that.

On social media - definitely more Blue Sky than X - have seen some noise. But then that’s sort of what social media does nowadays - define people by “sides” and try and force disagreement.

Only real media story I’ve seen is Vulture link above which was more a review of the book rather than linked to the prize.

Agree with GY that probably a topic not to drill into though, other than what is relevant to the book.

I understand you both, but I was asking more procedurally rather than substantively whether others had heard similar rumors of a backlash.

No I’ve only seen people on Bluesky who don’t have any influence.

And the prize has been through various controversies in the past (eg first including Akwaeke Emezi in 2019 and then in 2020 deciding they were no longer eligible) - judging a prize based on the personal views of someone whose book they pick seems odd, particularly for a sponsor.

Nowadays it seems more prizes dropping sponsors due to causes the latter are associated with.

Thanks Paul. I appreciate that insight.

Though I guess I might ask back - where have you seen comments, about the sponsors in particular. They've only got two - Baileys and Audible.

I have not seen anything. A rumor of disquiet was shared with me by a friend who knows people at the Women's Prize.

Ah OK that is interesting then as may be inside info - that's better connected than I am certainly.

Just finished the second story...that was definitely a lot less interesting than the first... I see why Anna used the word 'shallow'... hopefully things improve.

I think it does become more interesting in the third part! Adichie has a clear political message though (with which I agree in this instance), and I thought the third protagonists story could have been more... complex? Ambivalent? Not sure yet.

What do others think about the switch between first and third person narration? I was surprised when it changed again in part 4, and I think it adds to the feeling of addition rather than entanglement.

this interview might give some insight on the men in the book, Anna! (from your previous comment, as just catching up!) in the penultimate question &/or statement + her reply to it:

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/nx-s1-...

Rose wrote: "Ruben wrote: "Uncomfortable in what sense? I just listened to the long first chapter and realize that I have missed Chimamanda"

Ruben, I will try to articulate what I mean more clearly soon. I am ..."

I know people who wouldn't read it, including me. Not that I'm boycotting the actual prize. I don't mind if other people want to read it. For me it's more a personal thing, in that I'd worry about offending or making some of my trans friends uncomfortable - not that they necessarily even care. But it's a bad time for trans/queer communities in the US so I suppose it's a solidarity thing?!

Solidarity, indeed. I'm also not going to read it.

same & agreed, Alwynne. completely. no boycott nor disrespect to anyone reading or planning to read it soon… friends in other countries have loved it & I respect their opinions on it all + everyone here on GR too… but yeah, personally… it’s a no at the moment for cis me. it is bringing up some things about cancel culture etc that I find interesting & am thinking on plus researching about others & other sources, so I have been reading / curious / hearing about this book… but with love for my trans friends across the states (& some that have fled the country only in the last few days) & also so many books to read & so little time (to try to not doom-scroll!) I just cannot read this one right now.

re: sponsors etc…

Audible… I don’t think they won’t pull funding over this… JB is buds with EM & DT & the rest.

but Bailey’s… it’s possible they might… just was looking at their website & seeing all the work they do: https://www.baileys.com/en/our-impact... but also I’m sure they don’t want to censor / control a pick from the judges… with the chair saying the selections are “unapologetic” if a word was picked… not sure how it shakes out / the future of them sponsoring the prize etc…

Just finished. I have mixed feelings about this book. I was ambivalent about reading it in the first place, for reasons others have mentioned. I really enjoyed her past novels, though, and decided to proceed.

This book was a mix of themes I'm drawn to - the experience of immigrants in the US, learning about life in other countries/other cultures, how patriarchy and misogyny are expressed in different cultures, the "outsider" view of aspects of US culture - and themes I avoid - the "hard lives" of the rich and privileged and women pining after romantic love.

So, parts of it I liked very much and parts of it were exasperating. I found Chia and Zikora both frustrating characters who made the same bad choices repeatedly in their quest for an unrealistic romantic ideal. Chia's insistence on wanting to be known, fully and completely, is so unrelatable - the idea makes my skin crawl.

Kadiatou's story was completely engaging from the start, and of course completely heartbreaking. Her life story and background was so interesting, but also there is a certain discomfort with how closely the later traumatic part of her story, where all 4 characters converge, tracks a real event, while the of this character's story comes from the author's imagination. I think the intention with telling this story was good but I'm not sure how well it works - does this kind of use of a real event give voice to the real person's experience? Does it appropriate or exploit it? I wonder what the real woman whose story was used would feel if she read it? I can say that if it was me I would find it upsetting. Particularly the way Kadi's story ended - it's one possibility but by no means the obvious one.

I really liked Omelogor's character. She was an interesting woman who made interesting choices for believable reasons. I think the description of her experience in grad school in the US involved some venting of frustration that the author likely feels about American liberals, and I think some of the critique is valid (a phrasing that Omelogor would roll her eyes at). Omelogor's story was thought provoking and challenging in a good way.

I thought the pandemic's role in the book was effective - so easy to forget how those early months of lockdown felt. The best part of Chia's story was in the part set in the "present" during the lockdown.

Not sure where I'll land on the rating/ranking of this one. I think there's a mismatch between how much I enjoyed the reading experience vs. how well I think the author accomplished what (I think) she was trying to).

So far it's the book on this list that I've liked the best, but that's not saying much - the ones I've been able to get ahold of so far have not impressed.

Like Rose, I also just finished the book. I wanted to read it and wanted to come to it without the background noise and controversy but simply as a return to fiction from an author whose writing I have admired in the past.

I share many of Rose's reactions to the four main characters, although I found Chia more nuanced and complicated, especially in her relationship with Darnell, which I think captures a certain kind of male-female dysfunctional bond.

I think what moved me the most is the undercurrent (which Adichie acknowledges in her author's note) of the complicated bond between mothers and daughters. Sometimes that is an obvious part of the story and other times it is more of an underlying hum, but I found that theme particularly finely drawn and well done.

This is my 7th book from the longlist. It seems to me to be easily the most ambitious and the most accomplished of the 7. Adichie's talent is undeniable and on display on every page. I admired much of it and was impressed by all of it. Parts engaged me and drew me on more than others, which is probably inevitable in a book depicting four such disparate voices and personalities. It won't be the book that I personally enjoyed/loved the most, but it's quite an accomplishment.

Hugh wrote: "There was a long interview with Adichie, partly about this book, on the BBC yesterday which is available on iPlayer."

I watched this yesterday and would really recommend https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...

I'd like to share Eric Karl Anderson's extremely thoughtful video that he released yesterday where he discusses his complex feelings about Adichie and about her new novel. Although I don't agree with everything he says, it is the first time I have heard a BookTuber discuss this with nuance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI-0E...

I'm reading in audio. It is certainly the most ambitious of those I've read. I like it, although not as much as other Adichie books I have read. I just felt sorry for the first two women who really shouldn't have spent so much energy on men not worthy of them. The third woman's story is the most compelling.

Cindy, thanks for the link to the video. Now I know what the fuss is all about. Di, unfortunately, your link just gets me a message that BBC4 is not available in my region.

I agree with the comments that this is the most ambitious on the longlist

I wonder if people can explain why this is ambitious? I don't see a particularly challenging literary project behind this novel...

I didn't call it ambitious, but I can comment on why I liked it so much. I feel it addresses many pertinent women’s topics and was worthy of being longlisted for the Women's Prize. It addresses female friendships, mother-daughter relationships, and the many rationalizations women make to themselves for remaining in unhealthy relationships (which happens quite frequently to even the strongest women). Other themes include race, class, cultural barriers, power dynamics, aging, and ethics. Plus, it is one of the few nominees that included what I deem "literary writing" as opposed to writing that caters to popular trends.

Joy D wrote: "I didn't call it ambitious, but I can comment on why I liked it so much. I feel it addresses many pertinent women’s topics and was worthy of being longlisted for the Women's Prize. It addresses fem..."

Thanks Joy, very true that a lot of big themes and subthemes are touched upon. Heavy-handedly so in my view, but you could already tell I was disappointed by this one :)