"Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding."
— Afi Tekple
His Only Wife is a 2021 novel by Liberian-born Ghanaian author Peace Adso Medie.
Afi Tekple lives with her widowed mother in Ho, Ghana and barely manages to make a living as a seamstress. She and her mother receive a proposal from the Ganyo family, the wealthiest one in the village: marry their handsome and successful son, Elikem. The only thing she has to do is drive him away from the clutches of the terrible woman he is infatuated with.
Despite the strange way things begin—the wedding takes place without Eli being present, Afi wants to please her new husband and enjoys a much more comfortable lifestyle. She should be grateful for that, right?
Tropes applicable to this novel
- Arranged Marriage: Afi's mother tells her that she will be marrying Eli and she feels the pressure of keeping both her own family and the Ganyos happy.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Yaya, Elikem's sister, acts nice toward Afi at first. She starts showing her true colors after Afi has a fight with Elikem and when Afi decides to break up with Elikem, she lets Afi know exactly how little she thinks of Afi. Afi is unfazed, fortunately.
- Broken Pedestal: After Afi's father died, she and her mother lost their home and most of their valuables. Afi's uncle, Tͻgã Pious pretty much abandons them, but Aunty offers them one of their properties to live in and a job for Afinͻ, Afi's mother. Her action have earned her Afinͻ's gratitude. However, Aunty's treatment of Afinͻ after Afi gets fed up with Eli and returns home to Ho, refusing to return home despite Aunty ordering her to do so make her see Aunty's true character.
- Contrived Coincidence: The beach where Afi is supervising her photo shoot happens to be the same beach where her rival and stepdaughter are hanging out.
- Double Standard: Eli wants Afi to be OK about him having two wives. She asks him how would he feel if she wanted to have two husbands. He responds by saying it is not the same.
- Food Porn: Just one example: Afi prepares three meals for Eli when he calls to say he will be at their flat, since she does not really know what he likes and really wants to please him: "akple and okro soup, fufu and light soup, and yam and red fish stew." Even if the reader is not familiar with Ghanaian food in general, they might end up drooling.
- Grande Dame: Aunty Faustina Ganyo is a very powerful and wealthy woman in the village. She pays for the schooling of 50 children and offers feasts that benefit the entire community. She loves to be very generous towards others... as long as they worship her and don’t stand up to her.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: In Ghana, where the action takes place, English is the official language, but there are many other "government-sponsored" languages in use. It's not unusual for characters to switch from English to Ewe and back, or to greet others with a Mia woezor (you are welcome).
- Hate Sink: Afi's uncle, Tͻgã Pious. He is petty and a cheapskate, often insisting on the Ganyos' duty towards him as Afi's "father". He has a flush toilet inside his home but does not allow anybody other than himself to use it. Then he changes his mind and allows the others in the family to use it... for a monthly fee. Afi's father was a government worker and his home was provided by the government as well. After his death, Afi and her mother were evicted from their home but Pious refused to help his sister-in-law and niece. Despite that, he quite often talks about himself being like a father to Afi. He is also a neglectful parent towards his younger children.
- Insane Troll Logic:
- Evelyn's father once refused to sell palm oil to Aunty at the price she offered, offending Aunty. She concludes that Evelyn must take after her father and orders her son Richard to dump Evelyn. The fact that the man had been dead for 22 years and Evelyn had nothing to do with the incident does not matter.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After Afi decides to leave Elikem for good, Yaya delivers a The Reason You Suck speech to Afi. Later on, Yaya's mother has her move to Elikem's home to take care of him. Elikem is a healthy adult with housekeeping staff, and does not need a caregiver.
- Love Triangle: Eli was in a relationship with Muna, the mother of his daughter Ivy, yet agrees (or rather, is coerced by his domineering mother) to marry Afi in a traditional ceremony. He grows closer to Afi, yet when she asks him to formalize their union with a church wedding, he asks her to be patient, as he claims it is difficult to sever his relationship with his baby mama. In the end, Eli loves Afi, but he also loves Muna, and doesn't see why he cannot have both women in his life.
- Malicious Slander: The Ganyos describe Elikem's girlfriend to Afi as a smoker, an alcoholic, an unfit mother, and even claim that she has some kind of "spiritual" hold of Elikem. It's all Blatant Lies.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: The Ganyos are so invested in Eli and Afi's marriage that they won't stop meddling. As Afi's uncle, Tͻgã Pious, enjoys mooching her acquired wealth and ends up taking advantage of her goodwill and Elikem's by showing up unannounced to stay overnight and even springing his two children to live with Afi and Elikem without telling, let alone asking them first.
- Parental Marriage Veto: Elikem's family, led by Aunty Ganyo, hates his girlfriend with a passion. When voicing their disapproval is not enough, they arrange for him to marry Afi from their village, hoping that she will drive him away from the woman they loathe.
- Parental Neglect: Tͻgã Pious toward his younger children. He has three wives and does not provide the children's mother with enough for her to feed them appropriately. He often refuses to pay their school fees so that they have to leave their classes in shame. And on top of that, he hits them frequently.
- Rags to Riches: Afi is dumbstruck by Eli's luxurious apartment; even riding the elevator is a new experience for her. When she first moves in, she and her mother are intimidated by the dishwasher and afraid to break it.
- The Reason You Suck: Yaya to Afi, after the latter announces she will be divorcing Elikem:Yaya: We picked you from the gutter and gave you a life that you would not have had in a thousand years. There are countless women in this country with pretty faces and fat asses—you are not special. We could have chosen any one of them for my brother. How far do you think that face and body would have taken you? Where would your high school degree have taken you in this country where even university graduates can't make it? You were nothing and you are still nothing. Think about that before saying that you are divorcing him and allowing that woman to come back into this house.
- Refuge in Audacity: Afi arrives home and finds out that Tͻgã Pious has sent two of his children to her home so that they can live with her in Accra and attend the international (i.e. private) school at her expense. When she calls her uncle:Afi: You didn't tell me you were sending them here, and to go to school.
Tͻgã Pious: Yes, because if I had told you, you would have said no. - Teacher's Pet: Afi, despite not having a university degree, becomes an apprentice to fashion designer Sarah. This was possible thanks to Yaya, her sister-in-law, who had been a classmate to Sarah. From the first day, Sister Sarah invites her to lunch each day; all other students just receive instructions. The other students don't seem to mind, as Afi gives a few of them rides in the evening.
- Top Wife: Afi and Eli had a traditional Ghanaian wedding. She wants to make things official by having a church wedding or going to the Civil Registry, but Eli keeps telling her not to pressure him. Eventually Afi realizes that since Eli cannot marry both Afi and Muna by the church, he does not make things official with either.
