This coming of age story follows a 15 year-old Nigerian Igbo teenager, Kambili, as she struggles with an overpowering abusive father and an oppressive Catholic upbringing. The story explores a post Colonial Nigeria where the clashes of Igbo traditions bump up against new Christian beliefs for Kambili and her brother Jaja. After spending time with their Aunty Ifeoma in Nsukka, away from the privileged life in neighboring Enugu State and away from their father’s control and rigid schedules, conflicts arise in the family. Jaja begins to reject the strict Catholic upbringing as they learn about the Igbo pagan traditions of their ancestors, while Kambili’s sexuality is awakened by a crush on a Nsukka pastor. Purple Hibiscus is both beautiful and painful, exploring the conflicts of colonialism on the people of Nigeria, and the dichotomy of a religious life that is filled with both fear and hope.
-Samantha, Development
