THB-038: Neck Thing

Based on: The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - source: The Thing Around Your Neck (2009).

  1. POV “makes it” to new place/job in a strange foreign place, but is abused, exploited, or realizes it’s a toxic environment.
  2. POV runs away, lays low, wants to write home but can’t, and meets someone (foreign/exotic). They date.
  3. POV vulnerable with new lover. Their adventures reveal the vast gulf/culture-gap between them
    • POV tells story of past
    • POV cooks for lover (bad reaction)
    • Lover knows POV’s culture
    • Others don’t “see” POV
    • Lover gives too many gifts (love bomb)
    • Lover offers to buy plane ticket home
    • POV meets lover’s parents
    • POV upset at how ungrateful lover is at their wealth/luck
  4. POV finally writes back and finds out a family member had passed away. Cries in lover’s arms. Goes home and can’t say they’ll come back.

All THBs can be found here