Idu – Flora Nwapa

Idu by Flora Nwapa is a deeply affecting novel set in traditional Igbo society, centering on the devoted wife Idu. When her husband, Adiewere, dies, Idu defies cultural expectations—rejecting widow inheritance and ultimately choosing to follow him into the afterlife—offering a powerful critique of patriarchal customs and a moving exploration of love, loss, and female agency. First published in 1970, this hallmark novel underscores Nwapa’s pioneering voice as one of the first African women writers in the English‑language literary world.