As I said in my last post, if you aren't a fan of spoilers, please do us all a favor and exit. I understand people’s aversion to spoilers, hence the spoiler alert. But before you leave, or continue reading, please⬇️
Just so you know, it took me over 3 days to finish part 2. Reliving the entire trauma this book caused me was a lot😭
Oya let's continue. So the first part ended when Eziafa left the USA to pick a bride in Nigeria. If you haven't read the first part, refer to my previous post.
Before we jump to Eziafa’s wed-a-bride journey to Nigeria, it's important to note that Felix, his best buddy told him to break up with Jovita properly and warned him about the consequences of picking a bride from the village. But Eziafa, our favorite potter, said his mum is helping him look for a wife that he can mold into whatever he wants.
Here is a rare photo of Eziafa molding his wife🤭
Anyway, Eziafa got to his hometown amidst funfair and joy from his family. His mum (a confusingly annoying woman who I, unfortunately, understood to an extent but doesn't justify her horribly toxic parenting) was so happy to have him back and got the list of “willing brides” in the town. Eziafa set his eyes on Zinachidi, a beautiful, young girl who is the complete opposite of his usual spec and decided that she had to be his wife. Oh, did I mention Zina was 18 and he was 20 years older than her? 20 + 18, you do the maths🤦♀️
38… He was 38!
Let's cut to Zina. A typical first daughter in an African home, she is obedient, helpful and obligated to bring her family honor. She dreams of going to the university and studying Business Management, but that dream was cut shut when Potter Eziafa showed interest in her. Being a family with little to no income, an “Americanah” showing interest in their daughter was a huge deal, so she had no choice but to marry Eziafa, even though her heart was with someone else and she was very repulsed by Eziafa’s appearance.
After her marriage and painful wedding night/honeymoon, Eziafa went back while she stayed with her husband's family for one year so they could process her travel arrangements to join Eziafa. On her journey to the USA, she met a lady, Titilope, a divorcee who became her friend, to the disdain of her husband. Why? Because he expected Zina to be stranded, anxiously waiting for him at the airport and Titilope was an enlightened Yoruba divorcee. He didn't want anyone rubbing off on his young, “impressionable” bride (he actually used that word😑).
Talking about Eziafa, he met Jovita on his way to pick Zina up. Plot twist, Jovita was heavily pregnant and he wasn't the father. After Eziafa broke her heart in the cruelest way possible, Jovi Jovi went to the sperm bank and got herself inseminated. My sister washed her hands off anything that had to do with love😂
I was so proud of Jovita at that moment😂
Eziafa packed his broken heart inside his pocket as he picked his wife, Zina. And that, my friends, is how drama started.
First, he barely let Zina leave the house. She would clean the house, cook, do all house chores, but her father-sorry, her husband won't let her leave the house. Second, he treated her like a child. I mean what did you except? He's 20 years older than her! But these are tiny compared to the stunt he pulled later.
When he started seeing the evident boredom and peak loneliness in Zina, Eziafa begged Felix to convince his wife, Nkolita (who was the one who actually broke the news of Eziafa’s marriage plans to Jovita and has an undying loyalty to Jovita), to help Zina blend in. That would have been a sweet gesture, if he didn't ruin it by informing Zina that she will (more like must) study Nursing rather than Business Management because it is more lucrative in front of Felix and his wife🤦♀️
Zina refused, pleaded, revolted, argued, did everything to avoid studying nursing. She even went as far as reporting Eziafa to Felix, who tried to talk to Eziafa but the appeal fell on deaf ears. When that didn't work, she decided she would rebel, refusing to apply for Nursing because she couldn’t be married and still be treated like a kid (an understandable reaction), only for black tax to come knocking.
Zina’s mum (another horrible African mother) told her to please help them raise money for her sister's O’level exams, after berating Zina for having a mind of her own, saying her husband has been there before her and he knows what's best. Zina told Eziafa her mum asked for money and Eziafa capitalized on this, asking why he should do what she wants when she wasn't doing what he wanted.
On Zina’s behalf, I demand for Eziafa's head.
Zina had no choice. She agreed to study Nursing in exchange for her husband giving her the money to send home. Before she resumed, Eziafa forced her to get birth control which she didn't want. She was still under the impression that birth controls were demonic and her mum warned her against using them, but Eziafa reminded here they weren't ready to have a child. It was a good idea, but terrible approach. Even nurses thought he was her father with the way he was bossing her around and picking the birth control method she must go for. Imagine the nurse's dismay when she realized Eziafa was her husband, not father😭😂
Anyway, in the course of her Nursing journey, she met Nomzamo, her best friend and ally, who Eziafa hated and vice versa. The two of them were so close, to the displeasure of Eziafa. Why? Because she's free-spirited and enlightened. He didn't want Nomzamo going around, introducing his wife to men🙄💀
Irrespective of Eziafa's displeasure, Nomzamo and Zina remained best friends, even after school. Seven years later, Eziafa was getting older and body don dey tell am. He had issues with his health which hindered his taxi business and Zina became the sole provider. Zina's animosity towards her husband intensified, majorly because she had to pick pennies and manage her hard-earned money to be able to finance the mansion Eziafa was building back in Nigeria. Plus, she was still very unattracted to him and her irritation increased.
In came Raven, a fellow nurse who was very interested in Zina. She didn't give him the time of day at first, but their friendship metamorphosed into attraction. In summary, one bad day at work (her favorite patient died), she was crazy emotional and needed a release from all the pain. She slept with Raven.
And that was how Zina's extra-marital affairs began. With white man Raven👀🤦♀️
Even worse, that was where she got her first real sexual satisfaction.
POV: Zina when picking her lover…
Just kidding, she really didn't think of it that way.
Nomzamo shared her reservations about the whole affair with Zina. She reminded her that truly, she wasn't a fan of Eziafa but she didn't like the idea of infidelity as she was a bit traditional. However Zina, drunk on love and a good d***, didn't take the reservations seriously. Soon, they started flaunting their relationship in the hospital to the dismay and displeasure of their colleagues. And those sloppy mistakes were their downfall.
ZINACHIDI, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING FOR GOD'S SAKE?!
Eziafa finally concluded the monstrosity of a mansion he was building in his hometown. He was truly grateful to his wife and told her they could finally try for a child, so Zina should take out the birth control. But to his surprise, Zina wasn't as excited as he expected, although she took out the birth control.
That was when he started to notice something was off with his wife. First, she won't let him touch her, next she rebelled a lot more, then he realized his wife had grown and blossomed while he wasn't looking (this broke my heart the most). Over time, he noticed his wife was no longer his own and he went to talk to his best buddy, Felix concerning his suspicions that Zina was cheating.
Felix asked him if he was sure about the whole thing and he wasn't just acting on a hunch. Eziafa told him he hadn't caught her, but he had a feeling. Then Felix, God bless his soul, started to counsel him on how to keep his marriage, but Eziafa refused to take the advise because he didn't see the need for an alpha man to bend his ways to satisfy his wife.
The kind bad eye I use look Eziafa ehn! Onitsha Andrew Tate, welldone😒
Zina and her whitey lover, Raven became more and more sloppy in their bid to be around each other. Raven started to drop hints about wanting Zina all to himself, he went as far as giving her a key to his house. That was when Zina decided enough was enough. She was already mentally done with Eziafa, she needed to make it official.
Zina had a work conference to attend and she decided to find a way to spend extra days with Raven. So she lied to Eziafa, purposely increasing the days she would spend on the trip. But before she left, her husband saw a funny tablet in her drug stash, so he picked it up to investigate. After she left, Eziafa took the drug to a pharmacy, only to find out it was birth control. He felt so stupid because he thought he was the one who was impotent and silently blamed himself. As if that wasn't enough, he happened to see Zina and Raven out in public holding hands and kissing (see the sloppy mistakes I was talking about?)
Eziafa went mad. Oh, he went ballistic! He spoke to his buddy, Felix and ranted all the way. He wanted to kill Raven, he wanted to drag Zina back to Nigeria. But of all the crazy thoughts that was going through his head, leaving Zina was out of it. He just couldn't leave her. Felix advised him to let Zina go, but Eziafa, once again, ignored the advice (sometimes I wonder why Felix tries so hard when Eziafa never listens to him)
Back to Zina, she was having a good time with Raven. She made a date with Titilope, her first friend in the USA, where she briefed Titilope about her relationship with Raven. Titilope first asked if the relationship between them was genuine, to which Zina responded affirmatively. Titilope then warned her, from experience, about how Eziafa would take the whole arrangement, but Zima pushed the whole warning aside, saying Eziafa was not a violent man by nature.
Really Zinachidi? Really? Look at you now!
The day she was to go back home after her escapade with Raven, he proposed to her. I had no idea why he was proposing to a married woman. But she made an agreement with him. She will wear the ring around her neck, go home, break up with Eziafa and move back to his apartment that same day. Sounds easy, right?
As a great philosopher, Damini Ogulu aka Burna Boy once said, “Dey play.”
While Zina was preparing to break up with Eziafa, Nomzamo called Eziafa to ask about Zina’s whereabouts, only for Eziafa to tell her Zina hadn't gotten back from the conference. Nomzamo tried to backtrack and cover for Zina, but Eziafa had gotten the information he needed and he was waiting for Zina’s arrival so he could pounce on her.
Zina arrived home to meet a weird atmosphere. She tried to talk to her husband, who immediately changed it for her, asking questions about her infidelity and the birth control tablet. Zina apologized to Eziafa, while telling him that their marriage hadn't been working for a while, so she wants out. Eziafa was so angry at Zina for letting a cursed bird (ngl, he ate with that insult) prey on her and promised he would never let her go. He tried to convince her to work on their marriage, but Zina's mind was made up. There and then, the final straw snapped.
Eziafa reminded her of their ancestral tradition that punishes adulterous women. He tore her clothes and tried to force himself on her. Zina kept crying and calling for Raven, ignoring her husband’s pleas. And Eziafa promised to give her what she deserved.
I wish I could tell you the end was good, I wish I could say Zina broke free from it all, but she didn't.
Nomzamo called Raven, who was trying to create space for his beloved, to explain the whole situation to him, blaming herself for calling Eziafa. In summary, Eziafa killed Zinachidi and fled the scene. If not for the quick call to 911 from their neighbors who heard screams, he may have not been caught.
Raven immediately went into denial, saying it wasn't his Zina, but it was on the TV and she was confirmed dead. Zinachidi, a 25-year-old woman with a bright future, was killed by her angry and suddenly violent husband. Then and there, he broke down.
And that, my friends, is the plot of “A Good Name” by Yejide Kilanko.
First, I want to applaud the author. A good writer will make you root for a shitty person and that's what happened. Perspective matters a lot and that's what she did. It doesn't mean what Eziafa did was right or good, but seeing things from his perspective made him seem a bit more human, rather than the egoistic and masochistic murderer he was.
Second, I will never excuse infidelity. But to an extent, I understood Zina. She made a lot of stupid mistakes, agreed, but we need to understand she walked into marriage at 18. And the marriage was also an extended father-daughter relationship. I hate extreme age gap in books and life, I also hate it when the older party treated the latter like they are their kids. She was always at war with her husband and sought happiness and comfort outside. But that is still NO EXCUSE FOR INFIDELITY!
Third, we need to take Eziafa and Zina’s mum, put them in the same jail we put Uju’s mum (from TIBAW) and whoop their asses. If you read the book, you will realize the amount of unhealthy pressure she placed on Eziafa. Heck, if not for her, Eziafa would have married Jovita, the one he actually loved and wondered what life would have been with. As for Zina’s mum, why didn't she even understand or support her daughter for once?!
Finally, I applaud Felix, Nomzamo and Titilope. Although their friends ended up the wrong way, you can't deny that they were great friends. They stood by their friends and never hesitated to tell them how it was, no matter how harsh or painful the truth was.
As for Raven, sorry for his loss. I didn't believe he truly cared for Zina until the final pages of the book. I thought he was just taking advantage of her gullibility and he was there for the sex. Sorry white cursed bird😔
Anyway, my kindest regards to Yejide Kilanko. I was traumatized, BY A FICTIONAL STORY! That's all I can say about this book. I know as traumatized as I am, I should take a break from reading Nigerian books, but I have coconut head and I'm still reading Second-Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta (inserts maniacal laughter😂)
If you enjoyed this review and you will like to see me lose my shit on another book, you know what to do🤭
Till we meet again, to drag fictional characters. Bye for now❤️🫂