Excerpt from A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Excerpted from "Nwunye Belgium," the first story in the debut story collection A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo

Udoka was disappointed to find that her prospective in-laws' house wasn't two stories tall, with a uniformed guard and a big gate to keep out prying eyes. But though not as impressive as Udoka had imagined, it was still a better house than her mother's. It was painted, for one, and the corrugated roof wasn't coming apart with rust.

Udoka understood exactly what this visit was. When her mother had come home two weeks ago from her trip to Orlu, where she'd attended the burial of a distant relative, singing about God's rain of blessings, Udoka had known that some-thing very good had happened.

"You remember my friend Marigold, who lives in Orlu?" her mother began as she unpacked her bag. "I went to visit her and she told me something."

Udoka waited as her mother took out yet another item from her bag: a kitchen towel, a souvenir from the funeral. She handed it to Udoka.

"What did she tell you, Mama?" Udoka finally asked.

"She told me her son is looking for a wife," her mother said with a grin. "The same son that went to Belgium—fifteen years ago? Yes, in 1982, I remember. Marigold told me that her people were thinking of coming here to Umueze to talk to Gloria's family, to ask for Gloria's hand for her son. So I told her, I said, 'Gloria? My sister, don't try it o. That girl is public property. Ask anybody in Umueze. That's why no man has come to ask for her hand.'"

Udoka chuckled. "Mama, you didn't have to say that."

"But it's no secret. Everybody in this village knows about Glo-ria." Her mother leaned forward. "Besides, why send a fine man like my friend's son to another girl's house when you are here?"

Udoka frowned. "But Mama, what about—"

"Wait, let me finish. I told Marigold, I said, 'Don't talk to Gloria's people, my sister. You don't want a prostitute for a daughter-in-law.' And when it was almost time for me to leave, ask me what I did."

"What did you do?"

"I acted as if I just remembered. I said, 'Ah, my daughter sends her greetings. You remember my Udoka? She is now in her second year at Awka Polytechnic.' And she said, 'Oh, tiny Udoka of those days. She must be a big girl now.' Then when she was seeing me off, she said, 'But wait, Agatha. Why can't my son marry your Udoka?'"

"Was she serious, Mama?"

"She was. But you know me, I acted as if it had not even entered my mind. I said, 'That's a very good idea. Let me go home and talk with her.' And that was how it happened."

Udoka shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"It's a good thing you convinced me to go to this burial, Udoka. If I hadn't gone to Orlu, we would have missed this blessing. See how God works!"

"But Mama, what about Enyinna?"

"What about Enyinna?"

"You know he said he will soon come with his people to discuss my bride price."

"After all these months?" Agatha said. "Forget Enyinna. My friend's son, Uzor, he is a doctor, and he lives in Belgium. You want to compare that to a wretched trader at Onitsha Main Market?"

"Wretched, Mama? His shop is doing okay."

"Ehn, you have said it: 'His shop is doing okay.'"

Udoka winced at her mother's deliberately bad impression of her voice.

"You want to manage with a trader that is 'doing okay,' a man who drives a rotten matchbox and calls it a car, when you can marry a doctor making big money in Belgium?"

Udoka considered this. Enyinna was a fine man, but he was no doctor and definitely not a Belgian one. He had never even been outside of the country and had said many times that he had no interest in pursuing a university degree—something that had never bothered Udoka until now.

"But—so what will we tell Enyinna and his family? And even our umunna?" Udoka said. "Won't it be a shame to—"

Excerpted from A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo. Copyright © 2024 by Uche Okonkwo. Excerpted by permission of Tin House Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.