248 pages. Published September 17, 2024 by Red Hen Press. Fiction.
Akosua—’Sue’ to the people around her who can’t pronounce her name—is already struggling at grad school and frankly, in her personal life, when she slips and knocks her head on the edge of the bath. Her man (only they’ve just broken up) rushes to her side, along with her bestie; he determines that she’s going to be ok, and she trusts him because he’s a med student. But Akosua is not okay: not only is she no longer with Wisdom, the med student, but she’s also flunking out of grad school because she’s not taking the courses she needs to, and is generally rudderless since her mom moved away. She’s also still mourning her estrangement from her father, who left them when she was a child. One of Akosua’s solutions to her mountain of problems is to pursue a co-worker and fellow Ghanaian, Daniel, who seems steady and reliable, not at all like these city boys that she always meets.
Needless to say, things do not go well for Akosua. For one, her head injury is more serious than it seemed at first. For another, that head injury might be making her even more erratic (but is it all the head injury, or is it her?). As everything falls apart in slow motion, Akosua must grapple with her sickness and each of the unraveling threads of her life, which is no mean feat. Also, now her dad’s moved back to the US: should she see him? Forgive him?
This is a novel that’s full of heart, and so much more serious than readers may think at first; not a light read, particularly when something really awful happens to Akosua. But Bediako has written Akosua’s story with such tenderness: with Akosua, readers know the pain of not being Ghanaian or American enough, her struggles in love, and that awful time in life when you want your professional direction to be clear, but can’t find what you need in yourself to make it happen. It’s about that time in early adulthood when you come face to face with yourself, and when all of your childhood chickens come home to roost. Akosua is dealing with all of this on a wonky head, the effects of the TBI complicating her days. It’s such a wonderful conceit, and Bediako has brought it to life exceedingly well.
Come for the story of a third-culture kid; stay for laughter and tears. Highly recommended; one of my favourite reads of the year. Thank you to Pine State Publicity (and Cassie!) for early access.
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Harare Review of Books 
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