Readers will want to savor every bit of Dictates of the Heart.
Some might say that Adora Amadi leads a privileged life, but first impressions don’t tell the whole story. Reality is more complex. True, Adora is an attractive young woman with amazing prospects, including a much sought after scholarship. Her father is a successful doctor and her brothers love her. But tragedy struck when an accident took her mother and Adora unwaveringly fills the gap her mother left. Adora struggles to balance her future dreams with her family responsibilities. Will Adora capitulate to her overprotective father or will she forge her own path?
Readers get a unique glimpse at Nigerian life in this intelligent coming-of-age novel. Adora is a genuinely good human being. Onwuchekwa portrays Adora’s concern for her family in a heartwarming and realistic way. Conversations from some locals in Pidgin English are peppered throughout, giving the book an authentic feel. Barely a paragraph passes without some rich description of the wardrobe or color or sound or shape or size of virtually everything and everyone. The overall feel of the book is positive, a true feel good story in the face of obstacles. With an unexpected conclusion, readers will want to savor every bit of Dictates of the Heart.
