Eniiyi studies genetic counseling. How do you think Eniiyi’s studies impact how she views her resemblance to her aunt? How does it impact how she views the Falodun family curse?
So much of Eniiyi’s life is focused on being the reincarnated Monife. She really isn’t allowed to be her true self. I think her studies are a way for her to find her true self instead of just being depicted as another Monife. She has the white patch on her neck, which actually leads to her finding her real father. I felt she was the most capable of moving on from the so-called curse as she knew facts based on her genetic counseling education.
I didn’t see how her knowledge of genetics had any real impact on her decisions. Even when she found out who her father was, she still left without really attempting to have a relationship with him. She rejected Zubby because his father was Monife’s lover because she believed that being with him was living out the reincarnation of Monife. So science didn’t help her much.
1 Like
I think she sought the science of genetics to better understand herself and prove/disprove being the reincarnation of Monife. Eventually, the genetic white patch identified her father; however, that seems to be the only time she used her knowledge. Genetics would not have explained the family curse. So this might have been the best way the author could have the father-daughter connection revealed.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to resemble someone so closely that you never could see yourself as a separate individual. I found it interesting that Eniiyi thought her “birthmark” set her apart from Monife when all along it was an inherited disposition to impetigo that also affected her father.
1 Like
Even though Eniyii studies genetics, the science does not seem to outweigh the emotions of the curse and the possibility of Eniyii being the reincarnation of Monife.
Lyris, your statement hits the nail on its nose. No way did she use her educational background to improve her life. She rejected all men.
I think studying genetics was her way of trying to make sense of her life and determine (or disprove) the reincarnation possibilities. I don’t think we learn enough about her reasons or what she figured out..
I think Eniiyi was the most capable of moving on but in the end she didn’t follow her heart. Was it because all of the coincidences were too much? Then she was just as susceptible to curse belief.
I don’t think the author gave us enough in this area.
Fikayo who was several generations before Eniiyi had an autoimmune disease. Eniiyi got a degree in biochemistry before she got her degree in genetics. She toyed with the idea of genetics being the reason why she looked like Mo but thought her ideas about reincarnation was more of a spiritual problem than one caused by genetics.
I found this to be the weakest part of the storyline. It wasn’t really a focus that was portrayed as being part of Eniiyii’s life or passion. I thought the science of it should have played a bigger role in her life and beliefs.
Like some of the others responders, I think Eniiyi studied genetic counseling to help her sort out what she thought about herself, whether she was her own person and to learn if trauma is passed from one generation to the next.
Eniiyi was a very interesting character, perhaps the most interesting character in the book. I think it would be a very weighty burden to be told you are reincarnated. How is she supposed to live her life with that label, especially given the choices that Monife made? But I also think that it is impossible for us to comprehend the weight of that and/or the curse, simply because we are not Nigerian. I gave Eniiyi a lot of credit for getting an education - while I wish it would have impacted the way she viewed the Falodun family curse, I was not surprised that it did not.