Book Review: When It All Falls Down
Book Review: When It All Falls Down

Book Review: When It All Falls Down

BY CHINEDU ACHEBE

When It All Falls Down Chinedu Achebe

Life isn’t fair, but humans are the fools for believing that.

When It All Falls Down is the sequel to The Miseducation of Obi Ifeanyi by the author Chinedu Achebe. A book that highlights the events of the worst time of this decade in America and across the world.
The book explores the life ofthe protagonist Obi Ifeanyiwho is coping with a plethora of issues which include reaching his 40s, different family dynamics, the memories of the Nigeria-Biafra War, the impact of the deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant

and Chadwick Boseman, loss due to COVID-19, the reality of being a black person in America and American politics, to name a few.

Obi, now a father of two, Ike (10) and Chimamanda (4) face the challenge of losing his job during COVID-19 and how it affected every aspect of his family’s lives. The writer centres on the emotional and psychological effects of how people lost their loved ones, jobs, recreational places and communities. The effects of a workplace being a resting place made life monotonous and disabled people’s agency leading to strife in marriages, children and individuals. Achebe foregrounded this topic through Obi and his wife Nkechi’s marriage and his parent’s marriage. Ijeoma, Obi’s mom decides to leave her husband after holding on to so much pain from his betrayal in thefirst book, but ends up going back.

Obi’s marriage went through a challenge when he was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, which is quite common as men get older and has a plethora of causes including stress. Despite it being a sore topic amongst men, Obi confided in his friend/step-brother-in-law, Zik who seems to be going through the same thing. The author explores friendship and what it looks like between men and women. Through the protagonist, we observe how he ponders the effects of friendship and how it needs effort to work just as in any relationship. He sees how his sister, Chinwe and his wife, canfind comfort, laughter and ease in friendships because they can express themselves and also put in the work by cultivating these relationships. Albeit the opposite for men, who rarely share their aches and thoughts and the disadvantages of that approach.

Politics and The Black Lives movement were integral topics in the book. Obi and his wife face subtle racism in the workplace and observe that white liberals think that because they read books and think pieces by black people like James Baldwin, Bell Hook, and Ibram Kendi, believe they understand the black struggle but their whiteness prevents them from that. This is an issue that is very prevalent in the West and rings true in the UK too. The protagonist believes whiteness does not disappear due to a person’s political choice. This book also reflects the current times in America, we see history repeating itself as they are living the same presidency as we speak. It was a scary coincidence because the character had predicted that the people would vote for said candidate again. The killing of black people was also a very important topic and heavy in the book, the death of George Floyd was one which affected even us in the UK. Obi and Nkechi having to sit down with their children and talk to them about racism and taking them to marches at a young age, was quite eye-opening because I do not think it is a subject that is not easy to bring up. As a parent, you try to shield and protect your child’s innocence but that is not a reality for most black people in the West.

There were so many topics which I wish the author had probed more on which I feel were glazed over. For example, Obi’s son Ike feels a bit left out when he sees his parents play with his little sister. I would have loved to know more about that dynamic and how it would have brought the family together and dealt with how at times older siblings feel neglected. Achebe talks about how most people from the boomer generation, tend to stay in their marriages despite the discomfort. They have learnt the art of endurance and this is something most of us witness in our day-to-day life. I wish the author had expanded more on the topic and explored the nitty-gritty of the topic outside of comfort and familiarity. Sibling dynamics of both the older generation and younger generations were touched on but there was a gap that left me as the reader with a lot of questions.

I found the style of writing quite “matter of factly”, it lacked the emotional aspect even during intimate or vulnerable scenes. It covers a lot of important topics but I feel the author was holding back on certain scenes, which may result in the reader not remembering them.
If you love contemporaryfiction which highlights integral subjects such as politics, the Nigeria-Biafra War, loss, Black Lives Matter and family dynamics that are complex due to distance or miscommunication, I reckon you will enjoy it but be sure to read the prequel first!

ABOUT AUTHOR

CHINEDU ACHEBE is a Nigerian American author who was born in Richmond, Virginia. Chinedu graduated from the
University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. He published his first book, Blunted on Reality in 2012. Chinedu published his second book, The Miseducation of Obi Ifeanyi in 2017. Chinedu was the recipient of the 2023 Independent Press Award in the category of African American fiction for the title. He currently resides in Houston, Texas with his wife and children.
Instagram: Chinedu Achebe


This article was written by Rudo Manyere, Author and African Lit Reviewer. You can find her other reviews on YouTube: What’s Rudo Reading?

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