Is there a quote or scene in Dream Count that stood out for you? Why do you suppose it resonated?
There were two quotes I wrote down: “. . . That every woman has a story like this, where a man has lied to her or betrayed her and left her with the consequences (276).” This resonated with me because I have experienced this and it really bleeds you out. I also think it says this probably will be experienced by all women (or some variation of it) but should we accept this? The other quote (“. . . you have to understand that lying and deceiving are not moral issues in everyday life here, they are just tools, survival tools (281).”) resonated with me because we are seeing this in action everyday as people seek to curry favor for whatever reason.
There were so many! But one in particular (p.396) that “Stories die and recede from collective memory merely for not having been told. Or a single version thrives because other versions are silenced” So beautifully said.Reminded me how important it is to stay open to other people’s stories, experiences and ways of experiencing life.
It is the last scene in the book where Kadiatou learned the case has been dismissed. Chia is saying “I wanted to savor this moment for just a little bit longer, Kadi and Binta, these two thoroughly decent people, mother and daughter, sitting on a sofa holding hands, their faces bathed in light.” I sensed through her ordeal that Kadi didn’t want to pursue the case. Also, it reflects what Adichie said in the “authors notes”: “Sometimes, in writing fiction, magical moments float down…It touched me greatly, that ending, gestated in the savage terrain of personal grief and yet so removed from grief.”