The Unfortunate Marriage of Azeb Yitades

Barb Bloemhof is an assistant professor in the Department of Sport
Management at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Nega Mezlekia’s second novel tells the story of an Ethiopian town from
the perspective of several women who are sharing clanship with the
(male) spiritual leader. The town’s culture and heritage are
threatened by the development efforts of an American organization whose
liberal version of Christianity clashes with the town’s own Eastern
Orthodox faith.

While the author paints a vivid portrait of the geopolitical
environment, The Unfortunate Marriage of Azeb Yitades is focused more on
character development than on cultural anthropology. The journey of the
title character parallels the path of the country as a whole during the
period that immediately preceded the end of Haile Selassie’s
traditional regime. The heroine’s life—and unfortunate marriage in
particular—is inexorably shaped by her father’s self-loathing, the
result of a past act of cowardice. The heroine’s American friends
attempt to mitigate her hardships, but the author of this uncompromising
novel hints at a grisly outcome.