Published in 2009,
The Thing Around Your Neckis a compilation of stories previously published in literary journals and new work. In it, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explores the themes of identity and hybridity using characters most often from the Nigerian diaspora, whose identities are “hyphenated” in the United States. The twelve stories explore the challenges a character must face when living in a new place among often inscrutable people or when living in a country that does not respect basic human rights. Most of the stories are told from the perspective of a female narrator or viewpoint.
Several of the stories take place only in Nigeria. In “Cell One” Nnamabia, son of a well off and educated family, lands in jail. After the son is transferred with no warning, the family must
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Citation: Colleen, Clemens. "The Thing Around Your Neck". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 July 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=26536, accessed 22 November 2024.]
