Between 1967 and 1970, Nigeria was plunged into a bloody Civil War that claimed the lives of more than a million people, as the government fought The Republic of Biafra; a successionist state fighting for independence. Against this turbulent backdrop, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie weaves the stories of five disparate characters – twins Olanna and Kainene, university professor Odenigbo, his houseboy Ugwu, and English ex-pat Richard – drawn together then pushed to the limits of human endurance as their country unravels. Beautifully written, dramatic and affecting, this sweeping novel about love, race, class and colonialism brings to the fore contemporary Nigerian literature and an overlooked history.