Description: "Winner of the 2019 Orange Book Prize, The Impatients is a powerful novel about three women living in Cameroon who have grown impatient with the unrelenting oppression-patriarchy, polygamy, and the perpetual cry for patience-that dominates their lives"--
Brief description:
Djaïli Amadou Amal was born in 1975 in Diamaré in the far north region of Cameroon and grew up in the capital city of Maroua. A Fulani author and activist fighting for women's rights, she founded and runs Femmes du Sahel, an organization dedicated to promoting the education and development of women in her region. She is the author of three previous books written in French, and the French edition of The Impatients was shortlisted for the 2020 Prix Goncourt and won the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens. Amal lives in France.
Review Quotes:
"A moving novel recounting the fate of three women from northern Cameroon [who] are assigned only one role: wife subject to the designated husband as soon as they enter puberty. Amal knows, however, that there is hope, however small. And this hope has a name: education."
- Paris Match
"Djaili Amadou Amal is a storyteller who, while letting the voice of her characters arise, makes hers heard just as much, in a subtle whisper."
- Le Point
"A stark and unflinching view of an oppressive culture." - Publishers Weekly
"The Impatient's]real complexity lies in its finely textured depictions of relationships between women--mother and daughter, co-wives, sisters--full of jealousy, compassion, and emotional energy." - Kirkus Reviews
"Djaïli Amadou Amal's words are a tool for liberation. . . . The Impatient breaks the silence surrounding forced marriage." - Le Monde
"Once opened, The Impatient is unputdownable . . . a deeply moving story imbued with sweeping relevance." - La Croix