Dream Count is the long awaited new novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who before reading this book I would have said was one of my favorite writers. This is actually a hard post for me to write. Her writing skill is on full display here, some passages so beautifully written they stop you in your tracks. However, this is by far my least favorite book I have read from her.

The novel is broken into four sections, each highlighting one African woman during the pandemic. Three are extremely wealthy and even quite spoiled, who spend too much time with terrible men. The novel is each of them reflecting on their bad choices. The fourth is a poor maid who is sexually abused. Her story is based on a real story and is quite disturbing to read, as was intended by the author.

I almost didn’t finish the book, I just couldn’t bring myself to care about any of these characters except perhaps the maid. I’m not sure what Ngozi Adichie was trying to accomplish with this novel, but for me it didn’t work at all. A truly disappointing read.