Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun is a novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie published in 2006.

The book tells the story of the Biafran War through the viewpoint of the characters Olanna, Ugwu, and Richard.

Adichie interlaces together the lives of three characters swept up in the instability of the era.

Thirteen-year-old Ugwu works as a houseboy for a university professor. Olanna is the professor’s stunning mistress, who has left her life of freedom and comfort in Lagos for a grimy university town and the charm of her new lover.

And Richard is a shy young Englishman in subjection to Olanna’s twin sister who is an inexplicable person who refuses to belong to anyone.

As Nigerian troops spread and they must run for their lives, their morals are relentlessly tested, as are their devotion to one another.

Half of A Yellow Sun got several awards and was bestowed the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2007.