Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun: Summary

Half of a Yellow Sun begins in the early 1960s with a Nigerian teenage boy named Ugwu taking a job as a houseboy for prominent academic and professor, Odenigbo. Odenigbo is in love with Olanna, a local girl who comes from a wealthy family. They fall in love, and Olanna moves in with Odenigbo and Ugwu. The three become very close. Ugwu serves the couple well and becomes very dedicated to them. He also receives an education while living with them.

The other central characters in the text are Richard and Kainene. Kainene is Olanna's sarcastic and opinionated twin sister, and Richard is a British writer who is in Nigeria to study Nigerian art. Richard pursues Kainene, and they begin a relationship together.

The narrative now jumps ahead to the late 1960s to the historical conflict that Half of a Yellow Sun revolves around, the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). There has been extensive political instability in Nigeria for some time, and in the late 1960s, it finally bubbles over.

The Igbo people, a particular Nigerian tribe, secede from the rest of the nation, calling their new country Biafra. All the characters are happy at this development because there has been significant violence towards the Igbo people since a recent coup against the Nigerian government took place. The government then declares war against Biafra and receives significant military support from both Britain and Russia.

On a personal level, Odenigbo and Olanna now have a child together that they refer to only as 'Baby'. They also get married sometime after. Due to the conflict, Odenigbo, Olanna, and Baby are forced to move to the refugee town of Umuahia. The war causes food shortages and serious difficulties in the new country of Biafra. There are also interpersonal conflicts between all the central characters due to the immense stresses of war. There is even an air raid during Odenigbo and Olanna's wedding reception. War creeps into every aspect of life in Half of a Yellow Sun.

The narrative has another time jump, now moving back to the early 1960s. While Olanna is out of the country, Odenigbo's mother visits him with a young girl named Amala. Odenigbo finds himself attracted to Amala and sleeps with her, cheating on Olanna. Olanna discovers this when she returns home. She is completely devastated and moves out of the home she shares with Odenigbo.

Upon finding out that Amala is pregnant with Odenigbo's child, Olanna is pushed into an even deeper depression. In a state of drunken desperation, she seduces Richard and sleeps with him. Olanna confesses her infidelity to Odenigbo, and the two end up getting back together. Amala decides she does not want to keep her baby, so Olanna agrees to raise it as her own. This is 'Baby', who is referred to earlier in the text. Initially, Richard keeps his disloyalty to Kainene a secret, but she eventually finds out. While she does not leave Richard, Kainene is furious and cuts off contact with her sister.

Once again, Half of a Yellow Sun moves forward chronologically to the late 1960s. The situation in Biafra has become dire. Food and supplies are incredibly low, and other countries are ignoring the war, leaving Biafra with no foreign aid. To help the war effort, Kainene is running a refugee camp. She also finds herself changed by the drastic circumstances of the war and forgives Olanna. Ugwu, on the other hand, is forced into the Biafran military. He sees many atrocities and participates in them too. Disturbingly, he even takes part in the gang rape of a woman. The other central characters believe Ugwu is dead until they find him in a hospital. Umuahia falls to the Nigerian army, and Olanna and Odenigbo move in with Kainene and Richard.

It is clear to all involved that Biafra is badly losing the war and it appears that it will not last much longer. One day, Kainene crosses over to Nigeria to try to get supplies. She never returns. Despite Richard and Olanna's desperate searching, Kainene is never seen again. The war finally ends, and Odenigbo and Olanna return to their hometown to find their house destroyed. They have lost many family members to the conflict but begin to plan how to rebuild their lives. Ugwu writes a book about his experiences in the Biafran war, The World Was Silent When We Died. This book has been sporadically quoted throughout Half a Yellow Sun without reference to its author.