So what's The Domestication of Munachi all about:
On a hot Sunday afternoon years ago…
…Two sisters walk in on their father’s sexual liaison with the family’s hired help which leaves them both scarred in different ways.
Years later…
Unable to bear the thought of marriage to a man she barely knows, the younger and more adventurous one, Munachi, runs away from home on the eve of her traditional marriage, unwittingly resurrecting a long buried feud between her religious mother and eccentric aunty. This conflict leaves a door open for the family’s destruction.
The Domestication of Munachi (DOM) is a novel about the unnecessary pressure on women to take on life partners, regardless of who these partners are and the psychological impacts seen through the stories of two sets of sistersAccording to Okoli-Okpagu, the novel addresses a number of themes:
The three main themes that stand out are - One, the untoward pressure on young women to marry young regardless of their physical and psychological readiness. Two, physical abuse of women, especially married women and the society’s penchant to suddenly become blind to this until an irreversible damage is caused. Three, the deception of religion in our society today.
There are, of course, other sub themes such as family, the relationship between mother and child, adultery, long distance marriage, and so on.
... as for her favorite character:
Hmm… Despite Munachi’s eccentricities, I do love her. She could easily be my younger sister; the kind that can be so annoying. I think she would be my favorite.
For some reason I also like Aunty Ngo. She featured on few occasions, but every appearance came with drama and a reveal of a slice of the life she is struggling so hard to manage. Then again I chuckled throughout writing her bits.If that's not enough to whet your appetite, head over here for excerpts from the book, including readings from Ifesinachi Okoli-Okpagu herself. Also, here's a bit about the author:
Aside wishing she could travel more
often and she could stop answering questions nobody ever asks, Ifesinachi is a
creative mom with the superhuman abilities to get bored when she’s working on a
single project at a time. The Domestication of Munachi is her first novel.
In her regular life, Ifesinachi .O.
Okpagu is a Lagos-based marketing communications executive with over seven
years’ experience, including being an Associate Producer of a pan-African TV
show and heading the marketing communications team of an insurance company. She
also serves as the chief custodian of the Lexiton brand with intellectual
property in the media and entertainment industry. Her first book, a novella,
was published when she was fourteen and was adopted as a secondary school
recommended text in Delta and Ebonyi states.
She was educated at Queens College,
Lagos, and at the University of Benin where she obtained a BA in Fine and
Applied Arts. Ifesinachi also holds a Masters degree from the Pan-African
University where she graduated top of her class. She has written several
stories, some of which have been published in Sentinel Nigeria, the African
Roar Anthology and Saraba Magazine.
She has written/produced several
screenplays for the big screen and for television.
Now you know a bit about the author, and her debut novel - here's your chance to ask questions about the novel, her writing process, getting published and more. Can't wait!!!
PS. There's a chance to win a copy of the book. Good luck!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway.
