First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until – betrayed and brokenhearted – she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America – but faces an unthinkable hardship that threatens all she has worked to achieve.

In Dream Count, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie trains her fierce eye on these women in a sparkling, transcendent novel that takes up the very nature of love itself. Is it true happiness ever attainable or is it just a fleeting state? And how honest must we be with ourselves in order to love, and to be loved? A trenchant reflection on the choices we make and those made for us, on daughters and mothers, on our interconnected world, Dream Count pulses with emotional urgency and poignant, unflinching observations of the human heart, in language that soars with beauty and power. It confirms Adichie’s status as one of the most exciting and dynamic writers on the literary landscape.

It’s the end of the workweek—yay! Finally, the weekend is here. I’m glad we were all able to survive another week. I hope everyone was able to, or will be able to, finish the week on a high note. I hope you accomplished all your tasks or at least made significant progress toward them. It’s now time to dress down and let your hair down—to dive into the weekend! I hope you get to spend this brief reprieve wisely, whether by simply resting and taking a break from the rigors of a tedious career, pursuing your passions, completing household chores or other tasks you put on hold, or spending time with your family and loved ones. The weather here in the Philippine capital remains a mix of hot and damp. Occasional downpours riddle the day. The holiday chill is also drawing out the heat. Yes, nights are a little colder—it is officially hibernation season. I hope you’re all doing well—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

With the workweek coming to a close, it’s time for a fresh First Impression Friday update. Over the years, this blogging meme has become an essential part of my weekly book-blogging routine. Not only is it the perfect way to close the week, but it is also a great opportunity to take a reading breather while reflecting on my current read. These updates have also become springboards for my eventual book reviews. Currently, I’m using the remaining weeks of the year—we are nearly midway through December—to complete the books I listed in my reading goals and challenges; it’s become a tradition. The remaining books in these challenges are part of American and African literature. My attention for the rest of the year is therefore on books written by writers from these regions. My current read, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count, however, is not among the books I listed in these reading challenges.

Nevertheless, Dream Count is a book I looked forward to, especially after I learned about its release this year. While researching books for my 2025 Top 10 Books I Look Forward To list, I learned about the Nigerian writer’s latest work. I did have some apprehension about exploring her oeuvre further because of her controversial views vis-à-vis feminism. But I guess the curiosity was too great for me to pass up the opportunity to read her latest novel; after all, I loved Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. This makes Dream Count the third Adichie novel I’ve read; it is also her first novel in a while. The novel is divided into five sections, each written from a distinct point of view. These sections chart the respective and intersecting lives of four women.

The first character to be introduced is Chiamaka, or Chia for short. She is a travel writer born to a Nigerian family. However, she has since left her homeland, her parents, and her twin brothers, and is now living alone in Maryland. When we first meet her, she is trying to adjust to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. She keeps in touch with her family through Zoom calls. However, each call only leaves her feeling lonelier. As the story moves forward, it becomes palpable that her life has a gaping hole, and these calls serve as catalysts for a string of reflections. Indeed, the pandemic has set into motion a universal experience: a moment of self-reflection. As the silence embraces her and she falls into a routine of spending her days lying on her bed, she begins reflecting on her life. Her loneliness and the seeming meaninglessness of her days make her wonder whether her life is going to waste.

Chia then drifts into the past as she reflects on her experiences, particularly her relationships. Like any young girl, she used to dream about romance. She wanted to fall deeply in love and get married. It was not a simple husband she wanted; she wanted a romance that not only sweeps her off her feet but also sees and understands her for who she is. Life, however, had other plans. She got involved with several men, including Darnell, who caused her to change herself to please him. She also dated Chuka, but eventually realized that he was not who she wanted. Despite these vivid introspections, Chia was unsure how these experiences shaped her. The second section charts the story of Zikora, Chia’s friend. Zikora is a successful lawyer living in Washington, D.C. Excellence is Zikora’s trademark.

Zikora’s life changes drastically when she becomes pregnant. The news of her pregnancy, however, does not thrill Kwame, her partner. Instead of being excited, Kwame flees Zikora’s home and stops responding to her calls. Zikora’s mother travels from Nigeria to oversee her delivery. Flashbacks paint a portrait of Zikora’s family life. Her mother’s presence also allows her to confront her own misgivings about the events that shaped their family. She used to blame her mother for her father abandoning them; her father took a second wife and eventually left his first family when his son began causing problems at school. This realization is reinforced by her mother’s opening up about her own marriage, allowing Zikora to understand her and their shared—and even intertwined—destinies.

Drama intensifies with the story of Kadiatou, Chia’s housekeeper. Unlike the three other characters, Kadi does not trace her origins to Nigeria. She is a poor Francophone Guinean who grew up in a small village with her parents and sister Binta. The sisters were polar opposites: while Binta was outgoing, Kadi was reserved and cautious. After their father’s death, however, Kadi started imitating her sister. Binta eventually surpassed her, attending school and pursuing a different life. But when tragedy struck, Kadi was hurriedly married off to Saidou. Another series of tragedies led to her reunion with Amadou, her childhood love, who returned to Nigeria from America. After rekindling their romance, they moved to the United States. However, Amadou was imprisoned for drug possession. Still, Kadi kept working as a housekeeper for a hotel in D.C. to maintain stability for Binta, her daughter. The crux of her story occurs when she is sexually abused by a VIP guest. However, nobody believes her.

Completing the quartet of female characters is Omelogor, Chia’s cousin. She used to live in the United States but returned to her homeland, settling in Abuja. Like her cousin, she reflects on her past relationships. This is the furthest I have reached so far. However, it is interesting to note how these women’s lives—or perhaps their introspections—revolve around men. While they seem to be defined by these relationships, they are more than the men they were involved with. Each has dreams and aspirations, vividly captured by Adichie. Often, they also fail, with men vicariously at the center of their disappointments. They have their own ideals. However, it is palpable how societal expectations weigh down on them. They often have to reconcile their personal ambitions with society’s expectations, especially those imposed on women. This is especially true for them, as they were raised in a highly patriarchal society.

Take the case of Zikora’s mother. When her husband decided to leave the family home—they initially had an arrangement that he would visit his second family and then return to his first wife—she had no recourse. The nature of female longing is captured by Adichie. Beyond this, the novel also examines cultural identity and the diaspora. It is vividly a search for one’s self. Dream Count is extensive in its topical scope—one can’t expect anything less from Adichie—as it explores the impact of the pandemic, the intricacies and adverse effects of a chronically online life, racial discrimination and profiling, and the elusiveness of justice, especially for those who belong to the lower rungs of society. I can’t wait to see how the story concludes, especially as there seems to be a lot more to unpack. How about you, fellow reader? What book (or books) are you reading this weekend? I hope you’re enjoying your current read. Happy weekend!