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A publishing event ten years in the making—a searing, exquisite new novel by the bestselling and award-winning author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists—the story of four women and their loves, longings, and desires.
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, Adichie trains her fierce eye on these women in a sparkling, transcendent novel that takes up the very nature of love itself. Is 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.
Aside from Kadi, a character written to tug at our heartstrings, which woman held the most appeal for you?
Omelogor! Though when we first "met" her through Chia's eyes, I did not expect to like her as I came to do in "her" part of the novel. She is not consistently a "good" person, but she isn't happy with lying to herself, and she tries to make up for the seedy side of her success by being generous i...
-JLPen77
Zikora tells Omelogor and Chia that “every woman has a story…where a man has lied to her or betrayed her and left her with consequences.” Do you think this is true?
Zikora is wrong. It may be true for some, many or most women depending on their culture and on the era they live in—but likewise there have always been some, many or most women in various cultures and eras who have not had this experience. And that's not even taking into account our different per...
-JLPen77
What did you think of Kadi’s story? Why do you think the hotel was so insistent on prosecuting the guest who raped her, even though she herself didn’t want to pursue charges? What roles did race and nationality play in her experience?
This was the most absorbing and compelling part of the novel for me. Her journey from rural childhood in a nation emerging out of colonialism, where competition and prejudice based on tribes united only in the limited roles they allow women… to making her own way as a self-supporting single mothe...
-JLPen77
Chia, Omelogor and Zikora are pressured to marry and have children, particularly by their Nigerian relatives and culture. How is each influenced, and how does each pursue this goal? Do you feel Western cultures are equally guilty of this?
In addition to reading literary fiction, I also watch some reality TV, which people find a strange dichotomy. On 90 Day Fiancé, there does seem to be a lot of pressure in some African cultures to marry and have children. Sometimes, men take a second wife to have children, if he and his first wife...
-Laura_D
What audience would you recommend Dream Count to? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style? If you’ve read the author’s other works, how does this one compare?
I would recommend Dream Count to readers of literary fiction and world fiction. Jhumpa Lahiri is another author who writes about the immigrant experience in America. Jhumpa's use of language in her books is outstanding! I have read Half a Yellow Sun and Americanah. Half a Yellow Sun was too much ...
-Laura_D
Overall, what did you think of Dream Count? (no spoilers, please!)
I enjoyed reading Americanah and I was looking forward to another great read. Even though the writing and the descriptions are beautiful, I was disappointed at the content. I had difficulty relating to the characters in general.
-Micheline_Heckler
The first sentence of the novel has Chia musing, “I have always longed to be known, truly known, by another human being.” What do you feel she means? Do you think what she desires is possible? How does this theme play out over the course of the book?
I agree she is looking for a soulmate and this is a very natural longing. But she is much too worried about appearances and expectations—including her family's traditions—and not really in touch with her self; she wastes too much time lying to herself and others about Darnell. She struck me as sp...
-JLPen77
Someone tells Omelogor, “You know they don’t want us to learn our history.” She responds, “Go and learn your history. It’s not anybody’s responsibility to teach you.” What did you think of this scene? Do you agree with Omelogor?
Omelegor is right to suggest we owe it to ourselves to take our history (as people of a certain identity that matters to us) into our own hands. I think that is what she meant. She wanted him to care about their history. It is not unlike the message in Tommy Orange's Wandering Stars : some people...
-JLPen77
What are you reading this week? (3/12/2025)
Half of a Yellow Sun-- beautiful book and the author has a new one out: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dream Count
-Claire_Mauro
What did you think of Omelogor’s “Dear Men” column? Did you agree or disagree with any of the advice she gave? Which bits?
I was actually puzzled by why this was included in the book. I didn't think it added anything to the book or our ability to understand Omelogor.
-Debbie_G
Omelogor asks Hauwa, “Isn’t that what friendship is, to want each other’s approval?” What did you think of this statement? What’s your definition of friendship?
A true friendship has honesty and at times difficult conversations as well as the approval mentioned in the question.
-Debbie_G
What did you think of the book’s title? Did you figure out its meaning before it was revealed toward the end of the book? Do you think the phrase is apt?
I figured it out immediately. There was nothing deep involved.
-Susan_A
The plot is set during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. What do you think of the way the main characters reacted to the lockdown? How were their experiences similar to or different from your own?
I think an individuals experience of the lockdown was very personal. I did not relate to any of the characters. I was a new grandma, for the first time. Missing two years of early interaction with my granddaughter was indescribable. I actually found these women to be petty.
-Susan_A
Chia also thinks, “Where have all the years gone, and have I made the most of life? But what is the final measure for making the most of life, and how would I know if I have?” How would you answer her?
I think some charity is called for when assessing how we've lived. After all, we are burdened by the circumstances of our upbringings, as well as our physical and psychological limitations, so accomplishments should be graded a bit on a curve. I'm a bit harsher when I consider harms I might have ...
-Rosemary_Coffman
What do you think each of the women’s lives might look like ten years after the conclusion of Dream Count?
Being an idealist and hopeful optimist, I see Chia married to her soulmate, Kadi will be married to Amadou who will be an honest, hard working and loving husband and stepfather, Zikora will be a great mother to Chidera and not focus on her love life until he is grown to be a man, and Omelogor wil...
-Elizabeth_L
Chia asks Chuka, “Do you sometimes want to escape and find another life?” Why do you think she sometimes feels trapped? Have you ever felt similarly?
I agree that she thinks she must live up to the expectations of her family and society. Both of these conflict with what she is trying to work out for herself. I have felt that way many times, when I was stuck in a business I could not get out of, and a marriage that made me unhappy…eventually I ...
-Peggy_H
“In an unfinished dying, you feel you must mourn but you can’t even begin, because you haven’t reached an end that you understand,” Zikora thinks of the end of her romance with Kwame. Do you relate to this statement? What advice would you give her?
This seems to me to be the definition of "ghosting." There is a very human reaction to wanting resolution or understanding of the end of a relationship, but it by one party's choice or death.
-Peggy_H
Chia, Zikora and Kadi all pray. What role does faith play in each of these women’s lives?
Because all these women were raised in families where religion was very important, their faith foundations shaped their views and considerations in their choices.
-Janine_S
In what ways do the characters' experiences of racism differ based on their gender, background, and geographical location? What racial barriers do Zikora and Chia in particular face as they pursue their careers?
Definitely Katailou had the most difficult experiences with racism and gender because she did have money and privilege that the other 3 had. However, all of them experienced discrimination and misogyny.
-Janine_S
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...
-Janine_S
Why do you feel there’s so much animosity between Zikora and Omelogor?
Why do you feel there's so much animosity between Zikora and Omelogor?
-kim.kovacs
About the Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Discussion
Please join BookBrowse in our book club discussion of Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
-system
What are you reading this week (1/2/2025)?
I'm reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/753002/dream-count-by-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/ DREAM COUNT (out in March—her first novel in 10 years!) and also, on the nonfiction side, Laura Marris's gorgeous https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/age-loneliness THE ...
-Norah_Piehl
"In today's world, when people seem at once too cut off and too much in each other's business, readers will feel communion with these tense, put-upon, yet resilient women in crisis. Adichie weaves stories of heartbreak and travail that are timely, touching, and trenchant." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Adichie returns to fiction after more than a decade with this superb tale of the fleeting joys and abiding disappointments of four African women on both sides of the Atlantic...[She] riffs brilliantly on what feminism means to her characters and renders each woman's story in a distinctive voice…This is well worth the wait." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Every aspect of this transfixing, intimate, and astute group portrait is ablaze with scorching insights into the maddening absurdities and injustices that continue to plague women's lives...Adichie's magnificently vital, sharply forthright novel will be one of the year's most sought after and resounding titles." —Booklist (starred review)
This information about Dream Count was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo © Okey Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie grew up in Nigeria. Her work has been translated into more than fifty-five languages. She is the author of the novels Purple Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize; Half of a Yellow Sun, which was the recipient of the Women's Prize for Fiction "Best of the Best" award; Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award; the story collection The Thing Around Your Neck and the essays We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Her most recent work is an essay about losing her father, Notes on Grief, and Mama's Sleeping Scarf, a children's book written as Nwa Grace-James. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Website
Name Pronunciation
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Chim-muh-MAHN-duh en-GOH-zee ah-DEECH-ee-(ay) The “ay” is soft, not quite a diphthong.
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