A Bit of Difference by Sefi Atta

Summary

The novel follows Deola Bello, a thirty-nine-year-old Nigerian auditor living in London who works for an international charity foundation called LINK. Deola is a “resident alien” navigating the complexities of life in the West while maintaining ties to her wealthy, influential family in Nigeria. The narrative tracks her professional travels to Atlanta and Nigeria, where she audits various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and begins to question the “business of humanitarianism”. At the heart of her journey is a personal search for home, identity, and fulfillment as she faces the relentless pressure to marry and the unexpected reality of a late-thirties pregnancy.

Plot

• Professional Travel: Deola travels to Atlanta to review the launch of Africa Beat, an HIV awareness campaign. She meets her colleague Anne Hirsch and observes the cultural differences in how Americans and the British view Africa and race.
• Life in London: Back in London, Deola interacts with her friends: Subu, a born-again Christian investment banker; Bandele, a cynical, struggling writer; and Tessa, an actress preparing for marriage. These relationships highlight her isolation and her preference for “shared history” with other Nigerians.
• Return to Nigeria: Deola returns to Lagos for work and to attend her father’s five-year memorial. She audits a malaria NGO run by Dr. Sokoya and a widows’ charity (WIN) in Abuja.
• The Encounter with Wale: While in Abuja, she meets Wale Adeniran, a hotel owner. They have a one-night stand that is marred by a broken condom, leading to a pregnancy and HIV scare.
• The Aftermath: Returning to London, Deola undergoes an HIV test, which is negative, but she confirms she is pregnant. After confronting her dissatisfaction with her career and her “learned lack of trust” in her international colleagues, she decides to resign and move back to Nigeria to raise her child and pursue a new career path.

Setting

• London, England: Specifically Willesden Green and Pimlico. It represents a place of “peace and quiet” but also profound loneliness and “unbelonging”.
• Atlanta, USA: Described as “traditional and landlocked,” serving as a backdrop for Deola’s observations on American race relations and “earnest” charity work.
• Lagos, Nigeria: A bustling, chaotic city characterized by “aquatic splendor,” extreme wealth (Ikoyi), decaying infrastructure, and the omnipresent threat of armed robbery.
• Abuja, Nigeria: The “new federal capital” described as lacking character and being a hub for government corruption.
• Temporal Setting: The early 2000s, marked by the post-9/11 “orange alerts,” the Iraq War, and the rise of hip-hop culture.

Themes

• Identity and Migration: Deola struggles with her status as a “resident alien” and the realization that she does not see herself as British despite her passport.
• The Business of Humanitarianism: The novel critiques how Western charities view Africa as a “charity case,” often ignoring the potential for self-sufficiency and local investment.
• Family and Societal Pressure: A central conflict is the pressure on single Nigerian women to marry and have children, often at the expense of their personal independence.
• Corruption and Class: The sources detail the “grand larceny” in Nigeria’s oil and banking industries, contrasted with the “meager subsistence” of the poor.
• Gender and Fidelity: The narrative explores the “playboy routine” of Nigerian men and the resilience (or “tyranny”) of wives dealing with infidelity.

Characters

Major Characters

• Deola Bello: A cynical, self-effacing auditor who values her independence but eventually seeks a return to her roots.
• Wale Adeniran: A widower and businessman in Abuja. He is described as “calm and respectful,” providing a stable contrast to Deola’s previous relationships.

Minor Characters

• Remi Bello: Deola’s mother, a “dowager” who is obsessed with social “niceties” and family reputation.
• Lanre Bello: Deola’s brother, a “playboy” banker haunted by a past car accident.
• Jaiye: Deola’s sister, a doctor dealing with a crumbling marriage to an unfaithful husband.
• Anne Hirsch: An “earnest” American colleague at LINK.
• Kate Meade: Deola’s supervisor in London, who is constantly “decidely decent” but ultimately holds a “Tarzan Complex” regarding Nigeria.
• Subu: Deola’s “born-again” friend who critiques the culture of aid.
• Bandele: A “grumpy writer” friend who eventually reveals his identity as a gay man and his trauma from his youth in Nigeria.
• Tessa Muir: An actress friend whose impending marriage to an Australian man highlights Deola’s cultural anxieties.

Literary Devices

• Internal Monologue: The story is told through Deola’s perspective, capturing her “lack of trust” and constant internal critique of her surroundings.
• Satire and Irony: Atta uses satire to mock the “business of humanitarianism” and the pretensions of the Nigerian elite (the “Ikoyi crowd”).
• Flashbacks: Used to provide backstory on Deola’s father, the death of Seyi Davis, and her school days in England.
• Vignettes/Section Headings: The novel is organized into sections with titles like “Reorientation,” “Actually,” “Foreign Capitals,” and “The Business of Humanitarianism,” which signal the protagonist’s shifting focus.
• Symbolism: The “Ghana Must Go” bag symbolizes migration and displacement. The “I Am Powerful” poster represents the Western fetishization of African suffering.
• Cultural Linguistic Markers: The use of “speaking phonetics” (mimicking an English accent) symbolizes the performance of class and assimilation.