Efuru – Flora Nwapa

Efuru (1966): Flora Nwapa’s debut novel—and the first English‑language book by an African woman to be published internationally—follows the life of Efuru, a respected Igbo trader whose two marriages end in sorrow and childlessness (with the loss of her only child), and who ultimately becomes a devotee of the river goddess Uhamiri. In embracing a spiritual path beyond conventional roles, she discovers an alternative form of agency and fulfillment—offering a resonant portrait of female strength within changing Nigerian society